My mother was a stay-at-home mom until I was about 11, when she got a job - and it was like a light came on inside her. It's not wrong to be passionate about your career. When you love what you do, you bring that stimulation back to your family.

It's not easy to reach the summit of your career by the age of 24 - and for the years after to be a humiliating scrabble downhill.

One thing that did give me pause for thought, when I told my female friends now that I was writing about a 13-year-old girl, without exception they all said, 'I would not go back to being 13 for a million pounds.'

Sometimes it's a relief just to focus on putting one foot in front of the other.

When I was in Canada, the opportunities were huge. For every place I went to, I dreamt of bringing my family, too. When I ate at restaurants, I wished I could let my family experience the food I ate, too.

I had a very difficult father. I lived in a war zone. My parents were very unhappy, and I lived through my mother's pain. Throughout my childhood, I was constantly trying to protect her from my father.

I'm more apt to shed a tear than my wife about family matters.

My biggest ambition over everything is to have kids. It feels great. I'd love a big family.