They say that in the hour before an earthquake the clouds hang leaden in the sky, the winds slows to a hot breath, and the birds fall quiet in the trees of the town square. Yes but these are the same portents that precede lunchtime, frankly.

I like to push characters to extremes so they have to make really tough decisions and there is no life more extreme than that of an athlete.

Psychiatry in this place is like serving an in-flight meal in the middle of a plane crash. If I wanted to make you well, as a doctor, I should be giving you a parachute, not a cheese-and-pickle sandwich.

Studying psychology is fun because you're always looking for the same things I think a writer should be looking for, which is the story behind the story.

Life is extremely short and you cannot dance to current affairs.

Would we be the heroes or the cowards of the piece? Would we follow orders or stick to our principles, if those two things ever conflicted? Would we be the brave ones who still found the capacity for love - and for laughter - even while we were terrified?

There's what people say, and there's what people mean, and I like to explore the difference between the two.