I Take Real People And

When You Get The Ideas, That's A Thrill; When You're Writing The Book And It's Corning Out Well, That's A Thrill; When You Finish It And Other People Read It, That's A Thrill. There Are Going To Be Reviews, Of Course; Not Everyone's Going To Love It. You Feel Sort Of Naked And Vulnerable In A Way. That's Just A Minor Part Of The Process, Really. If You Can't Take That Part, You Shouldn't Be In The Business. But There Are So Many Joys To Writing.

Family Life Was Wonderful. The Streets Were Bleak. The Playgrounds Were Bleak. But Home Was Always Warm. My Mother And Father Had A Great Relationship. I Always Felt 'safe' There.

I'm Always Telling Myself As I Write That I'm Not Really Writing A Novel; I'm Just Going To Fool Around With A Character Or An Idea.

It Would Be The Death Of All Creativity For Me If I Had To Sit There And Be Concerned With The Sensibilities Of A Fourteen-year-old Kid. Some Fourteen-year-olds Would Revel In The Book, And Some Would Be Very Sensitive To It, So You Can't Afford To Worry About That. What I Worry About Is Good Taste And Getting My Message Across By Whatever Means I Can.

Affection Is One Of The Most Neglected Words In The English Language, That People Throw The Word Love Around Like Confetti When They Mean Affection.