At the end of the day, that's what a family is - a group of different people who accept each other.

It is one of the benchmarks of a culture I always think – the page at which it operates. A good way to measure it is to order a taxi and see how irate local people get if it is late.

An Aunt is a safe haven for a child. Someone who will keep your secrets and is always on your side.

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

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.

It is through our extended family that we first learn to compromise and come to an understanding that even if we don't always agree about things we can still love and look out for each other.