The new contract between writers and readers is one I'm prepared to sign up to. I've met some fascinating people at events and online. Down with the isolation of writers I say! And long live Twitter.

Often we don't notice the stringent rules to which our culture subjects us.

Scotland consistently produces world-class writers.

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

The new contract between writers and readers is one I'm prepared to sign up to. I've met some fascinating people at events and online. Down with the isolation of writers I say! And long live Twitter.

Today women have the rights and equality our Victorian sisters could only dream of, and with those privileges comes the responsibility of standing up and being counted.

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.