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I like to write stories that read like historical fiction about great, world-changing events through the lens of a flawed protagonist.

English fiction was something I loved growing up, and it changed my life - it changed the trajectory of my life.

I chose a time in the century which had the greatest moments for novels - the late '30s and World War II.

In my younger days, I was trying to write sophisticated prose and fantastic stories.

As a novelist, I have always been interested in how people come to terms with difficult, life-altering events.

The accidents of my life have given me the ability to make stories in which different parts of the world are brought together, sometimes harmoniously, sometimes in conflict, and sometimes both - usually both. The difficulty in these stories is that if you write about everywhere you can end up writing about nowhere.

As far as what I do, my value as a writer is certainly not to try to recapitulate a 19th century form. Certain styles of narrative don't conform to my style of experiencing the world.

Writing Part of the Scenery has been a very different experience. I have been reminded of people and events, real and imaginary which have been part of my life. This book is a celebration of the land which means so much to me.

I love reading about history. Sometimes, I feel I was born in the wrong era. There was more creativity in the air when people were still discovering new worlds.

I had always shown childhood as something difficult, something you want to get the hell out of, but now I wanted to do a story that was the opposite, about that moment in time when you're in that world of discovery, doing what you want to do. That fleeting moment when you're in your zone.