It's good to focus on the universal suffering that goes on in any war. Whatever the right and wrongs of the war, there is always universal suffering.

That's what this war is all about, my friend. It's about which of us is the crazier.And clearly you British have an advantage.You were crazy beforehand.

Wherever my story takes me, however dark and difficult the theme, there is always some hope and redemption, not because readers like happy endings, but because I am an optimist at heart.

Always write your ideas down however silly or trivial they might seem. Keep a notebook with you at all times.

A notion for a story is for me a confluence of real events, historical perhaps, or from my own memory to create an exciting fusion.

I write fiction. I make things up, it's what I do.

Any problem can be solved between people if only they can trust each other