I know I'm not normal in this, but [ Severus ] Snape is absolutely my favorite character in the Harry Potter books. He is completely mortal - good, bad, strong, weak, motivated by hatred, motivated by love. A gorgeous, compelling, complex character who definitely earns a spot at my table.

I love the idea of ordinary women making extraordinary sacrifices.

Sometimes a story grabs hold of you and won't let go.

In the end, the best part of the whole book [The Nightingale ] to me was the research, reading about the courageous, ordinary French women who put their lives on the line to save others. It was really inspirational.

Coming up with the idea is the worst part of writing for me.

People forget that old women were young once, but d'you think we old women forget? In my heart, I'm still thirty.

I know that sounds ineffective and daunting, but it [throw hundreds of pages away] is actually my favorite part of the writing process.