People are talking about sex. They're talking about sex with their husbands. They're talking about sex with their girlfriends. They're talking about sex with their partners. And because of all of this communication, women are having much more intimate relationships, which is fantastic.

So you've just slept with him, given him your virginity, a man who doesn't love you. In fact, he has odd ideas about you, wants to make you some sort of kinky sex slave.

It's much easier to wear your pain on the outside.

If you've been married for 400 years, as I have, it's nice to experience first love again and you can vicariously through a book.

God forbid that women have fantasies.

I do not look at the world in terms of black and white - and I find people who do rather scary. I think it's all shades of grey.

I've set the bar quite high in terms of storytelling.