I write short stories when a little idea occurs to me, that I know isn't a part of a novel that will stand by itself and should be concentrated.

If there is a heaven, Jane Austen is sitting in a small room with Mother Teresa and Princess Diana, listening to Duran Duran, forever. If there's a hell, she's standing.

To claim that music is more important than oxygen would be trite and sentimental. It would also be true.

When I'm writing I just think there's only the page and me and nobody else.

Schools don't really allow failure and yet it's part of any endeavour, not just writing.

She's a pot-of-tea-before-I-say-boo-to-you woman. There's always a pile of warm teabags in the sink when I come down, like what a horse would leave behind.

Good ideas are often murdered by better ones.