It is, after all, absurd that in 2017 women are still at best second-class citizens.

Writing a book is like running a marathon. You need to be fit to do it, mentally and, as far as possible, physically.

I've taken a certain a pride in all of my books. They devour so much time and energy that you have to engage deeply or you'd go mad.

One of the reasons I'm able to write books and still carry on with other work is that I do my best writing between 5am and midday.

It's not enough to vent about what you don't like on social media. I would ask everyone who can, men included, to get involved in an organisation actively working for gender equality.

Iceland's Women's Day Off in 1975 saw 90% of Icelandic women take time off from their paid and unpaid work, an experience that not only showed women how much they contribute but turned Icelandic men into supporters of gender equality. I aim to achieve the same impact in the UK.

What drives me is a sense of urgency. We live in frightening times. Progress towards gender equality and vital battles to end discrimination on grounds such as race, age, sexuality and disability are stalling and in some places, reversing. This is happening because of the collapse of trust in nearly all public institutions, and in particular in politics and media, and the inescapable feeling that the current system isn't working for most people.