Sometimes you want to hear your own mother's voice.

I'm not really a plot writer - I'm more interested in the characters and sort of small events that propel the story forward.

My first published book, Story of a Girl, was the fourth book I wrote.

That's how you know you really trust someone, I think; when you don't have to talk all the time to make sure they still like you or prove that you have interesting stuff to say.

There were about ten years of trying, failing, trying again, suffering rejection, etc. My first published book, 'Story of a Girl', was the fourth book I wrote.

I don’t want these memories to become slippery, to just disappear into the thin air of life the way most things seem to. I want them to stick – even the bad ones – so I repeat them often.

Sometimes you want to hear your own mother's voice.