For me, the glory of my first 25 years as a writer was I could put things off as long as I wanted.

I think radio plays are my favourite medium, as they make the listener work and create and contribute in a way that TV and film can never do, and they have an immediacy that written prose often lacks.

Fiction is the lie that tells the truth, after all.

The cat wrinkled its nose and managed to look unimpressed. "Calling cats," it confided, "tends to be a rather overrated activity. Might as well call a whirlwind.

I was not happy as a child, although from time to time I was content. I lived in books more than I lived anywhere else.

Even nothing cannot last forever.

I wish I could Buy Time - just write a cheque, and a few days later a brown cardboard box would arrive at the door containing three months (along with an extra bonus sunny weekend for being a good customer).