I wanted to be a librarian from a very young age. Some of my earliest memories are being taken to the local library. I ended up working as a bookseller. Becoming a writer was the logical offshoot of being a reader.

"What is the greatest mistake a parent can make?" she asked. "To believe that your children will be just like you."

I have been very lucky: my writing has taken me across the world, and I have seen some extraordinary sites and sights.

The Elders had nothing but contempt for human emotion; they considered it their biggest weakness. Perenelle knew it was humankind's greatest strength.

What the guys have learned is that whether you're preaching to one or 10,000, it really doesn't matter. That one person you touch may change the nation - could be the Billy Graham of Ethiopia.

I am a great believer that all the primary research has to be done before principle writing begins. I'm a huge advocate of plotting.

Sometimes I'll start a sentence and I don't know where it's going. I just hope to find it somewhere along the way. Like an improv conversation. An improversation.