Grabbing readers by the imagination is a writer's job.

My father could talk about the Romany way of life and its culture. He could talk about freedom and the Scottish spirit. But that was all he could talk about. I was desperate for someone to talk to but there was just nobody there.

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

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?

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.

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

Scotland just isn't terribly Tory.