I've always thought it was important not to attach too much superstition to the space where you're writing, because once you get into the mindset that you can only do it a certain way in a certain place, your creativity can get blocked.

I don't eat when I'm working. If I start to fridge-raid, I'm in trouble.

When I'm writing, I spend all my time in The Grocer on Elgin buying ready-made meals; I think they are the only reason my husband and kids haven't left me.

I remember people saying: 'You look funny, your hair is so black, you have a flat nose,' but I didn't think of it being racism, and I still don't. But there was a sense of difference, of being an outsider.

There's a lot about the character. It doesn't always happen, but there are some characters you really create a relationship with, almost as if they were your friend. And you never get into their heads again or think like them.

I love smart and curious people. I value intelligence in my friends and relationships.

The best fights don't occur between strangers. They occur between friends who trust each other.

Never change the person that you are just to fit in. You'll find your true friends that like you for you, and if you are happy with doing things that you genuinely enjoy, it shouldn't matter what other people think.