I generally wade in blind and trust to fate and instinct to see me through.

I write longer sentences than most of the others, maybe because I probably like Henry James more than they do.

My first real breakthrough collided with the last months of Callaghan's Labour government, which had every intention of enjoying my success as much as I did.

There have been times when I reread - or at least leafed through - something because I'd sent a copy to a friend, and what usually happened was that I noticed dozens and dozens of clumsy phrases I wished I could rewrite.

However, I think I managed to reach a new level with Koko, and I will always be grateful for the experience.

Many fiction writers eventually want to feel that their work forms a single, unified entity.