And yes, there's a simplicity to writing books because you're not a member of a team, so you make all the decisions yourself instead of deferring to a committee.

At risk of sounding foully pompous I think that writers' groups are probably very useful at the beginning of a writing career.

Wyrd bith ful araed (Fate is inexorable).

I'll happily mentor anyone who wants mentoring, and most of that goes on by internet rather than face to face.

Book tours and research provide a lot of travel - too much, I sometimes think, but we do take vacations.

I know nothing about producing TV drama and any involvement on my part is liable to prove an obstacle to the producers, so I prefer to be a cheerleader and let them get on with it.

So far it's 43 books in 25 years.