Well, We're Meant To Be Writing Stories

At 20, 25, 30, We Begin To Realise That The Possibilities Of Escape Are Getting Fewer. We Have Jobs, Children, Partners, Debts. This Is The Part Of Us To Which Literary Fiction Speaks.

Writing For Children Is Bloody Difficult; Books For Children Are As Complex As Their Adult Counterparts, And They Should Therefore Be Accorded The Same Respect.

I Think People Believe In Heaven Because They Don't Like The Idea Of Dying, Because They Want To Carry On Living And They Don't Like The Idea That Other People Will Move Into Their House And Put Their Things Into The Rubbish.

The Most Difficult Book I Wrote Was The Fourth In A Series Of Linked Children's Books. It Was Like Pulling Teeth Because The Publisher Wanted Exactly The Same But Completely Different. I'd Much Rather Just Do Something Completely Different Even If There's A Risk Of It Going Wrong.

I Think One Of The Things You Have To Learn If You're Going To Create Believable Characters Is Never To Make Generalizations About Groups Of People.