Much historical fiction that centers on real people has always been deficient in information, lacking in craft and empty in affect.

If I am feeling broken, I can pick up one of [Ivy Compton-Burnett] books and the next morning I can write again. It puts my mechanism back.

[Margaret Thatcher] admitted to being the daughter of her father but not the daughter of her mother!

I've got so many ideas, and sometimes the more exhausted my body gets, the more active my mind gets.

If you get stuck, get away from your desk. Take a walk, take a bath, go to sleep, make a pie, draw, listen to music, meditate, exercise; whatever you do, don't just stick there scowling at the problem. But don't make telephone calls or go to a party; if you do, other people's words will pour in where your lost words should be.

It's not easy to diagnose because depending where the endometrial deposits are, the symptoms can be quite different. It's an unrecognized problem among teenage girls, and it's something that every young woman who has painful menstruation should be aware of... It's a condition that is curable if it's caught early. If not, if it's allowed to run on, it can cause infertility, and it can really, really mess up your life.

[Margaret] Thatcher could fake her class background, but she couldn't fake the quality of her mind.