The sky was a sparkling succession of black diamonds on black velvet made crystal clear by the blackout.

As an historical novelist - there are few jobs more retrospective.

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.

Very often the characters people respond to best have little parts of reality they can relate to.

Grabbing readers by the imagination is a writer's job.

I care about a lot of issues. I care about libraries, I care about healthcare, I care about homelessness and unemployment. I care about net neutrality and the steady erosion of our liberties both online and off. I care about the rich/poor divide and the rise of corporate business.

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