Usually I decide on what it is I'm writing next by the books I'm reading.

Actually, I can write anywhere - airport lounges, in bed, on a rattling train going north.

One cannot always marry the person one loves.

There's no black and no white, just shades of grey...But the small betrayals lead to bigger ones, morality is eroded.

All prizes have a role, if they are run with integrity and with a clear focus on reading and quality writing. I don't think any of them is necessary, but they all play an incredibly important role in building a body of literature, in introducing new authors to new readers, and extending reading.

Love - true love - is a precious thing. It is painful, uncomfortable, makes fools of us all, but it is what breathes meaning and color and purpose into our lives.

I am not a fan of historical fiction that is sloppy in its research or is dishonest about the real history.