Writing about the 1950s has given me tremendous respect for my mother's generation.

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.

The law don't like jazz clubs. No one wants anything to do with that kind of trouble.

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

There is something particularly fascinating about seeing places you know in a piece of art - be that in a film, or a photograph or painting.

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.

Everyone assumes writers spend their time lounging around, writing and occasionally striking a pose whilst having a think.