Writing is incidental to my primary objective, which is spinning a good yarn. I view myself as a storyteller more than a writer. The story - and hence the extensive research that goes into each one of my books - is much more important than the words that I use to narrate it.

My attention span is very limited, and I watch just one or two movies a year.

I want to be remembered as a storyteller more than someone who had something meaningful to say.

In order to become the master, a ruler must profess to be a servant of the people.

To remain standing one often has to fall.

It may sound very strange, but I love the freedom that writing a novel gives me. It is an unhindered experience. If I come after a bad day, I can decide that my protagonist will die on page 100 of my novel in a 350-page story.

I was passionate about reading from an early age, and I would always be carrying a different book each week.