There are some themes, some subjects, too large for adult fiction; they can only be dealt with adequately in a children's book.

Then she was pressing her little proud broken self against his face, as close as she could get, and then they died.

Teachers often make the mistake of thinking they're the boss of the class; they're not. The boss of the class is sitting down there somewhere.

I've been surprised by how little criticism I've got. Harry Potter's been taking all the flak. I'm a great fan of J.K. Rowling, but the people - mainly from America's Bible Belt - who complain that Harry Potter promotes Satanism or witchcraft obviously haven't got enough in their lives. Meanwhile, I've been flying under the radar, saying things that are far more subversive than anything poor old Harry has said. My books are about killing God.

I'm superstitious about the paper that I use, for example. I've written all my novels on a paper of a particular size with lines of a particular distance apart and with two holes in the paper for the folder clip.

A murderer was a worthy companion.

'Thou shalt not' might reach the head, but it takes 'Once upon a time' to reach the heart.