I have, I must admit, despised the English countryside for much of my life - despised it and avoided it for its want of danger and adventure.

I have in the past acquired a reputation for concocting non-existent writers and unwritten volumes.

Retiring from writing is to avoid the inevitable bitterness which a writing career is bound to deliver as its end product in almost every case.

I was brought up in a flat in North London - virtually the last building in London, because north of us was countryside all the way to the coast, and south of us was non-stop London for 20 miles.

I have learned that you need to have patience, perseverance, and faith in people to reach your goals.

I'm a spiritual person. I'm not very religious. I was raised Catholic, but I am influenced a lot by Buddhism and Hinduism.

I always adhered to the idea that God is time, or at least that His spirit is.

I'm not an admirer of action movies. I just think, Oh my God, it must be so tiring.