Library campaigners are not prepared to stand by and watch something they cherish be dismantled brick by brick.

I read a lot of thrillers, especially American crime novels.

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 comes always a moment when the desire to act, however ill the cause, is stronger than the wish to listen.

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.

Library campaigners are not prepared to stand by and watch something they cherish be dismantled brick by brick.

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