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

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

I jealously guard my research time and I love fully immersing myself in those dusty old books and papers. It's one of the most enjoyable parts of my job.

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.

If we don't value the people who inspire us (and money is one mark of that) then what kind of culture are we building?

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

Scotland consistently produces world-class writers.