Books have a vital place in our culture. They are the source of ideas, of stories that engage and stretch the imagination and most importantly, inspire.

History at its best is a gritty, dirty business.

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.

History is full of blank spaces, but good stories, invariably, are not.

Scotland just isn't terribly Tory.

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

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.