He was in a terrible state- that of consciousness.

Tennis: the most perfect combination of athleticism, artistry, power, style, and wit. A beautiful game, but one so remorselessly travestied by the passage of time.

As someone once said, covers to a novel are like bars to a cage. You can watch the tiger, the Komodo dragon, and admire it - its heart, its severity. Even when they carry out an ugly act, it's still fascinating.

My belief is that everything that's written about you is actually secondary showbiz nonsense, and you shouldn't take any notice of it.

I always do my draft in long hand because even the ink is part of the flow.

My life looked good on paper - where, in fact, almost all of it was being lived.

I'm not interested in making a diagnostic novel or a concern. I'm 100 percent committed in fiction to the pleasure principle - that's what fiction is, and should be.