The only way to write a book, I’m fond of telling people, is to actually write a book. That’s how you write a book.

The way to write a book is to actually write a book. A pen is useful, typing is also good. Keep putting words on the page.

Cats, I always think, only jump into your lap to check if you are cold enough, yet, to eat.

I've heard people, usually writers, say that no one wrote a great book after winning the Booker, but I honestly did not feel any big pressure. The Gathering did hang over me in that it was darker than I thought at the time.

People whose lives are upside down often read fiction. When you're not sure where you'll end up or how you are going to be, and you're looking for some way forward, fiction is a great friend.

When I'm working, I'm not so much disciplined as obsessive. I have this feeling that I need to clear everything away and get this down.

I think it’s very important to write a demythologized woman character. My characters are flawed. They are no better than they should be.