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Finding a writer who can write decent kids' dialog and finding kids that can act realistically and not 'cute' is an effort.

My kids are really easy. I often worry that they're too easy to deal with. They're really nice people.

I don't like nice people. I like tough, honest people.

I don't like to read things that people write about me. I'd rather read what kids have to say about me because it's not their profession to do that.

I find nice people kind of boring.

I like writing for children. It seems to me that most people underestimate their understanding and the strength of their feelings and in my books for them I try to put this right.

I've seen a range of children's personalities, so it's easier to write about them without patronising them, I think.

Any abhorrent behavior is more interesting to me. I'm always amazed when somebody asks me, 'Why don't you write something about nice people?' Because nice people are boring, that's why.

I do not really write for children: I write only for me and for the few people I hope to please, and I write for the story.