Sadly I don't sing. I missed it for a long time, but my daughter Emma said something wonderful when I was feeling blue one day: "Mom, you've just found a different way of using your voice, and that's with your books." In a way, she's right. It's just a different way of expressing what I feel about music, individuality, art and all the things I've always loved.

I don't think I have the image that say, Judy Garland has, or Bette Davis.

I am very proud to be British. I'm very conscious of carrying my country with me wherever I go. I feel I need to represent it well.

These days, people like me who are in the arts are perceived as celebrity writers. That really makes me angry because I expend a great deal of effort and spend an enormous amount of time on my books. And I've been writing now for 35 years.

I've been blessed to be at the right place at the right time.

When I start to write, I see my stories as a kind of movie. For instance, I ask myself, "What kind of opening do I want for this book?"

It is not enough to reach for the brass ring. You must also enjoy the merry go round.