It struck her all at once that dealing with other human beings was an awful lot of work.

I do write long, long character notes - family background, history, details of appearance - much more than will ever appear in the novel. I think this is what lifts a book from that early calculated, artificial stage.

The very thing that attracts you to someone can end up putting you off.

I'm beginning to think that maybe it's not just how much you love someone. Maybe what matters is who you are when you're with them.

I'm too shy for personal appearances, and I've found out that anytime I talk about my writing, I can't do any writing for many weeks afterward.

But what I hope for from a book - either one that I write or one that I read - is transparency. I want the story to shine through. I don't want to think of the writer.

When I'm working on something, I proceed as if no one else will ever read it.