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.

A word out of place or an interesting choice of vocabulary can spawn a whole character.

Scotland consistently produces world-class writers.

Writers need each other.

I had loved poetry and the theatre. Now I loved adventure more.

Those who have not been stung will hardly fear a bee the same as those who have.

Historical fiction of course is particularly research-heavy. The details of everyday life are there to trip you up. Things that we take for granted, indeed, hardly think about, can lead to tremendous mistakes.