I Want To Be Seen As A

Write For Yourself, Not For A Perceived Audience. If You Do, You'll Mostly Fall Flat On Your Face, Because It's Impossible To Judge What People Want. And You Have To Read. That's How You Learn What Is Good Writing And What Is Bad. Then The Main Thing Is Application. It's Hard Work.

My First Novel Was Rejected By Some Of The Most Eminent Publishers In The World. Starting Again Was A Real Wrench.

I Want To Be Seen As A Good Storyteller. I'm A Manipulator As Well.

At The Age Of 12 I Won The School Prize For Best English Essay. The Prize Was A Copy Of Somerset Maugham's 'introduction To Modern English And American Literature.' To This Day I Keep It On The Shelf Between My Collection Of Forester's Works And The Little Urn That Contains My Mother's Ashes.

I Go On A Hunting Safari At Least Once A Year To Botswana, Which Is Fantastic Because We Have A Huge Area Of Wilderness Entirely To Ourselves. My Island Covers Roughly 55 Acres, Which Again I Have To Myself, With Nearly Half A Kilometre Of Private Beach With My Own Jetties And Boats.