A little magic can take you a long way.

A writer of fiction lives in fear. Each new day demands new ideas and he can never be sure whether he is going to come up with them or not.

I never get any protests from children. All you get are giggles of mirth and squirms of delight. I know what children like.

I doubt I would have written a line ... unless some minor tragedy had sort of twisted my mind out of the normal rut.

Don't gobblefunk around with words.

Never mind about 1066 William the Conqueror, 1087 William the Second. Such things are not going to affect one?s life...but 1932 the Mars Bar and 1936 Maltesers and 1937 the Kit Kat - these dates are milestones in history and should be seared into the memory of every child in the country.

And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.