I never wanted to be mainstream as a writer, but look at what's happened.

One of the reasons I write is I like being surprised

I do not believe in evil- I believe that we are human and fallible, that we things and spoil them in an ordinary way.

I love the characters not knowing everything and the reader knowing more than them. There's more mischief in that and more room for seriousness, too.

I never wanted to be mainstream as a writer, but look at what's happened.

If you grow up in Ireland and read books then you really are obliged to attempt your own some time. It is not exactly a choice. I still don't know if I am a writer. Believe me, there are days when I have my doubts.

Write whatever way you like. Fiction is made of words on a page; reality is made of something else. It doesn't matter how "real" your story is, or how "made up": what matters is its necessity.