Wherever you go in the galaxy, you can find a food business, a house-building business, a war business, a peace business, a governing business, and so forth. And, of course, a God business, which is called 'religion,' and which is a particularly reprehensible line of endeavor.

Once you find you can't walk as far and as fast as you were able, life becomes more complicated.

I sell well now in Russia. I remember one signing in Russia some years ago where the bookstore had two strongmen to hold the crowds back.

But science perhaps is very difficult without faith. Also there is no simple way of saying now we have science, we don't need faith anymore.

So I wrote what I hoped would be science fiction, I was not at all sure if what I wrote would be acceptable even. But I don't say that I consciously wrote with humour. Humour is a part of you that comes out.

The British audience was very important to me. I have always looked away from American to non-American audiences and so this was important.

I don't finish every story, but I probably write and send out three out of five of them.