In my heart Im just a lucky waitress.

People are interested in crime fiction when they're quite distanced from crime. People in Darfur are not reading murder mysteries.

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.

We don't really go in for big family dinners, but Scottish people are famously confrontational. It's a cultural thing, so maybe we don't need to have them to clear the air. Also, traditional family food isn't as nice here so there's no payoff for traveling hundreds of miles.

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.

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 just got an honorary degree from Glasgow University, and I had to wear around very painful shoes so that I didn't laugh all the way through the ceremony because I felt like an outlaw.