A party like this isn't about the surprise factor. It's about someone going to so much trouble that it just... overwhelms you.

I don't think anyone sits down and thinks, 'I know, I'll be a chick-lit writer.' You write the book that you want to write and then other people say, 'Oh, that's chick-lit.' You say, 'Okay.' But it's not like you look around and go to a careers fair and there will be someone at the chick-lit author stand.

Don't beat yourself up for not knowing the answers. You don't always have to know who you are. You don't have to have the big picture, or know where you're heading. Sometimes, it's enough just to know what you're going to do next.

...you may be able to sway people's heads. But you can't sway their hearts.

But you can't stay with people because of guilt. Or because they can drive a speedboat.

Once you've started cheating, does it really matter what your methods are?

Being a journalist is good if you want to write books: it teaches you to get beyond the blank screen. My books have been described as froth but there's scope to be witty and ironic about everything in life.