I published my first book in 1982 - a collection of Irish folklore called Irish Folk & Fairy Tales. It is still in print today. My first young adult book was published a couple of years later, and I've been writing in both genres ever since.

When I said that I was king of forwards, you've got to understand that I don't come up with this stuff. I just forward it along. You wouldn't arrest a guy who was just passing drugs from one guy to another.

The research. It is always the best part of writing. And, of course, it is the great excuse to travel.

They ex­pect­ed to lose. And there­fore, they lost. [..] Peo­ple who start think­ing deep dark thoughts in the mid­dle of a war start ex­pect­ing to lose.

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.

The day we stop learning is the day we die.

Coffee is the great incentivizer in the office.