And I know I can do this because I went to London on my own, and because I solved the mystery…and I was brave and I wrote a book and that means I can do anything.

Most of my work consisted of crossing out. Crossing out was the secret of all good writing.

And Father said, "Christopher, do you understand that I love you?" And I said "Yes," because loving someone is helping them when they get into trouble, and looking after them, and telling them the truth, and Father looks after me when I get into trouble, like coming to the police station, and he looks after me by cooking meals for me, and he always tells me the truth, which means that he loves me.

Then he asked if I didn’t like things changing. And I said I wouldn’t mind things changing if I became an astronaut, for example, which is one of the biggest changes you can imagine, apart from becoming a girl or dying.

I knew there was a story; once you find a dog with a fork through it, you know there's a story there.

..because when we look up into the sky at night there will be no darkness, just the blazing light of billions and billions of stars, all falling.

I read very, very little fiction as a kid. All the books I can remember are junior science books.