For a novelist, the gaps in a story are as intriguing as material that still exists.

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

Books exist for me not as physical entities with pages and binding, but in the province of my mind.

Like most little girls, I found the lure of grown-up accessories astonishing - lipstick, perfume, hats and gloves. When I write female characters in my historical novels, getting these details right is vital.

I'm not sure how much easier it is for a mother to balance her life now - have we simply swapped one set of restrictions for another?

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.

It may take a village to raise a baby, but hell! it takes an army to produce a book.