Most mainstream male fiction is littered with heroines, and female characters are basically so great, you want to fall in love with them.
From Iain Banks
In so much of politics you're not allowed to disagree with what's been agreed.
I've always loved Scotland, and I'm not a huge fan of big cities, to be honest. I like them to dip into for a bit, but I'm not sure I would want to live in one again.
I think we need politicians; we need people who want to serve.
I still have some of my old University essays, and I do still have my drawing book from primary year seven.
Smell is a very animal thing, almost reptilian, where the more cerebral things like reading less so.
I deliberately keep myself apart from a lot of stuff; I don't Tweet, I don't do Facebook, I don't blog, and that's largely because I spend my working life staring at a screen and hitting a keyboard, I am trying to cut down on that, not increase it.
I remember being shocked when I discovered some of my school pals didn't have books in their homes. I thought it was like not having oxygen, or hot water.
I love writing and can't imagine not being able to do it. I want an easy life and if it had been difficult I wouldn't be doing it. I do admire writers who do it even though it costs them.
In theory, I work an eight-hour day and a five-day week which means I can socialise with my pals who mostly have normal jobs like teaching and computer programming.
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