Very much in my books people find not surrogate families because they are real families. We've got families that we're related to by blood but we've also got families that we acquire. And those too I think are pretty much part of my books.

One of my extraordinary regrets about my death is not so much that it's going to happen but simply that I'll never know what happens next.

Death had ruled my life till I met Lady Dance. Her dance had set me free.

Books aren't like broccoli. You don't have to eat it because it's good for you. Books drag you in because they are fascinating.

If something is worth doing you may as well go heart and soul and boot leather.

For me books have always been an incredibly solid part of my life, both as escapism and simply as resource.

I'm very close to my parents. I admire them and respect them enormously. But my childhood unfortunately coincided with the end of their marriage. They are two people who should never, ever have got married.