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I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the level of success I've had. I was just writing stories for my own sons.

I was a very observant child. The boys in my books are based on boys in my neighborhood growing up.

I suppose 'Worried About the Boy' was a brave choice, but only in the sense that if I didn't get it right, my career would be over before it had begun.

Whenever I write a story, I hope it appeals to both boys and girls.

From a very young age, stories fuelled my imagination in the most wonderful way.

After 'A Suitable Boy,' I didn't write anything, not even a short story. I thought to myself: 'I ought to start writing.' But I can never force myself to write.

I became a copy boy. Not for long. I started writing stories.

I love telling stories from a kid's point of view because they don't really see all the obstacles in front of them. They're resilient, and sometimes adults can steal that from them.

Stories come to me and I don't know where they come from, but afterwards I can look back and say, 'Oh yes, that's got a little bit of me, or a little bit of my own son in it'. That's where ideas come from.

I tried to stick to my game plan, which was always being aware of what my A story was - the love story between a father and his son, and that son and his daughter.