...and There Was Nothing To

I Don't Mean That Literary Fiction Is Better Than Genre Fiction, On The Contrary; Novels Can Perform Two Functions And Most Perform Only One.

I Think People Believe In Heaven Because They Don't Like The Idea Of Dying, Because They Want To Carry On Living And They Don't Like The Idea That Other People Will Move Into Their House And Put Their Things Into The Rubbish.

But I Don't Feel Sad About It. Because Mother Is Dead. And Because Mr. Shears Isn't Around Anymore. So I Would Be Feeling Sad About Something That Isn't Real And Doesn't Exist. And That Would Be Stupid.

And Then I Thought That I Had To Be Like Sherlock Holmes And I Had To Detach My Mind At Will To A Remarkable Degree So That I Did Not Notice How Much It Was Hurting Inside My Head.

I Started Writing Books For Children Because I Could Illustrate Them Myself And Because, In My Innocence, I Thought They'd Be Easier.