Writers are a product of where we come from but by looking at alternatives to the culture in which we live, we can find ways to change and hopefully improve it.

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

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.

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

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.

For me, writing stories set, well, wherever they're best set, is a form of cultural curiosity that is uniquely Scottish - we're famous for travelling in search of adventure.