I find it inspiring to actively choose which traditions to celebrate and also come up with new ideas for traditions of my own.

I'm a library user and I just don't hoard books. To me, they're for sharing.

Writers are a product of where we come from but by looking at alternatives to the culture in which we live, we can find ways to change and hopefully improve it.

I've always had a keen sense of history. My father was an antiques dealer and he used to bring home boxes full of treasures, and each item always had a tale attached.

Change occurs slowly. Very often a legal change might take place but the cultural shift required to really accept its spirit lingers in the wings for decades.

Something I notice speaking to writers from south of Hadrians Wall is that the culture is different. At base, I think Scotland values its creative industries differently from England.

Books exist for me not as physical entities with pages and binding, but in the province of my mind.