I thought, if I write a book that is not a retelling of Pride and Prejudice, it's not going to mean that I will not get any criticism. I might as well write the book that I want to write.

I just like to inhabit a character really deeply.

We all make mistakes, don't we? But if you can't forgive yourself, you'll always be an exile in your own life.

What greater happiness is there than the privilege of being bored together?

But I never thought of who he wasn't, I never had to explain or defend him to myself, I didn't even care what we talked about.

Probably I, like a lot of people, became a writer in imitation of or in homage to the books I enjoyed. When you're so captivated by something, you think, could I do that? Hmm, let me try

Personally, I have never wished I were a male novelist.