None of us know what is going to sell or what people want to read.

I grew up in London under Thatcher and that really was disgusting. A feeding frenzy.

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

There's a real emphasis on being witty in Scotland, even in crime novels.

I came from this very traditional background and I benefited hugely from feminism. I felt privileged going to university and doing a PhD. Most people of my background don't get to do that.

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!

In the 'Garnethill' trilogy, people always forget that Maureen O'Donnell's dad was a journalist and she did art history at uni and her brother did law, but no-one ever thinks they're middle-class - they're just working class because they speak with accents.