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.

Do you believe you can change your destiny?' he (Sajhë) said, seeking an answer. Alice found herself nodding. 'Otherwise, what's the point? If we are simply walking a path preordained, then all the experiences that make us who we are - love, grief, joy, learning, changing - would count for nothing.

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

Too often I am jealous and my jealousy leads me to say things-things-that I regret.

What we attempt to do is not without danger. What we attempt to do may not succeed. But it is right and it is just. We act for the good of all.

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

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