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

Books have a vital place in our culture. They are the source of ideas, of stories that engage and stretch the imagination and most importantly, inspire.

Without archives many stories of real people would be lost, and along with those stories, vital clues that allow us to reflect and interpret our lives today.

A book is a story, even if it's non-fiction, and once I've read it, I have the story with me inside my head always.

We can learn so much looking outside our core field of expertise.

I believe the era of the militant lady is back.

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.