I was editor of my high school literary magazine and a reporter for the school newspaper.

I think a lot of young aspiring writers get misdirected; they think 'I ought to write this, even though I enjoy reading that'. What you have to do is write what you enjoy reading.

But one does not make living writing poetry unless you're a professor, and one frankly doesn't get a lot of girls as a poet.

I spend eight months outlining and researching the novel before I begin to write a single word of the prose.

I also try very hard to create characters - both heroes and villains - with psychological depth.

It means working harder to do the research but I don't really mind - I don't think I have what it takes to chase criminals through back alleys and wade through blood at crime scenes.

Of course, all writers draw upon their personal experiences in describing day-to-day life and human relationships, but I tend to keep my own experiences largely separate from my stories.