Most of the people who write to me are really clever, really engaged. They just want to say that they have read my book and liked it.

My upbringing was middle-class but my parents' families were both working-class so I had this odd combination of working-class background but in a privileged position.

I'm terrified to get married. I'm not getting married till my gay friends can.

I have two children. They are more fun than anything in the world, and it's more immediate fun than the hard slog of writing.

Usually when I'm trying to establish character, I try and find out where they live.

I always wanted to work at Take A Break magazine, you know, just to inject a little bit of politics into their stories. I applied for a job there after I'd done my law degree and didn't even get an interview. I only wrote Garnethill because I didn't get that job!

There's always these giant baffling books, like 'The Da Vinci Code.' People say it's not as well written as 'Midnight's Children.' Why aren't people reading 'Midnight's Children?' Nobody knows why these phenomenons happen but they're great.