Happyish. Well, happyish isn't so bad.' 'It's the most we can hope for.

I still find it absurdly difficult to concentrate on a novel if there's a phone or computer to hand; I have taken to locking them outside the room like noisy pets.

You start out wanting to change the world through language, and end up thinking it's enough to tell a few good jokes.

And of course there is always joy in witnessing the joy of others

Well, I don't think Hollywood's a dirty word at all, I love a lot of Hollywood films.

As a novelist, I'm incredibly lucky to make a living, but that doesn't mean that I don't lie awake at four o'clock in the morning, worrying.

David Holdaway was my stage name. I was an actor for about eight years in the '90s. I had to change my name because there was another David Nicholls, and I thought if I changed it to my mother's name, she'd be touched.