Do Not Lie To The Scholar.

My Books Are About Killing God.

One Of The Ways In Which Writers Most Show Their Inventiveness Is In The Things They Tell Us About How They Write. Generally Speaking, I Don't Like To Make A Plan Before I've Written A Story. I Find It Kills The Story - Deadens It, Makes It Uninteresting. Unless I'm Surprised By Something In A Story, The Reader's Not Going To Be Surprised Either.

I've Been Surprised By How Little Criticism I've Got. Harry Potter's Been Taking All The Flak. I'm A Great Fan Of J.k. Rowling, But The People - Mainly From America's Bible Belt - Who Complain That Harry Potter Promotes Satanism Or Witchcraft Obviously Haven't Got Enough In Their Lives. Meanwhile, I've Been Flying Under The Radar, Saying Things That Are Far More Subversive Than Anything Poor Old Harry Has Said. My Books Are About Killing God.

A Story, To Me, Has A Particular Sprite, Like The Angel Of The Spirit Of That Story - And It's My Job To Attend To What It Wants To Do.

This Is The Value For Me Of Writing Books That Children Read. Children Aren't Interested In Your Appalling Self-consciousness. They Want To Know What Happens Next. They Force You To Tell A Story.