It is a good idea to know which publishers publish which stories. For example, there is no sense in sending a picture book text to a publisher who does not publish picture books.

It changes you for ever, but you are changing for ever anyway.

Perhaps every time anyone is praised it means that someone else somewhere is going to be ignored

I don't think I prefer writing for one age group above another. I am just as pleased with a story which I feel works well for very small children as I do with a story for young adults.

There's a lot of things you can put up with, as long as you're not related to them.

New Zealand is the only country I know well enough to write about. It can sometimes lead to complications.

You can't say you want things to be simple and then in the next breath ask me to be honest.