Happiness is knowing and appreciating what you've got. I am very, very, very grateful for what, to me, is dead easy.

Success is not like a cake that needs to be divided. It's more like a heap of stones - a cairn. If someone is successful, they add a stone to the cairn. It gets very high and can be seen from all over the world. That's how I see it.

Money doesn't make you happy, but it gives a zone of comfort around you.

I have an irregular heartbeat, so that means a fair amount of medication - and I have blood pressure pills, too, but no vitamins or supplements.

I had a very happy childhood, which is unsuitable if you're going to be an Irish writer.

I've been very lucky and I have a happy old age with good family and friends still around.

Always write as if you are talking to someone. It works. Don't put on any fancy phrases or accents or things you wouldn't say in real life.