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My first book was so horrible I have deleted all copies of it. Thankfully, it was before the Internet, so there are no lurking caches of it anywhere.

I don't keep any copy of my books around... they would embarass me. When I finish writing my books, I kick them in the belly, and have done with them.

I don't keep any copies of my books in the house - they go to my mum's flat. I don't like them around.

I started a second novel seven times and I had to throw them away.

I'm very lucky. I'm very fortunate that my books have never gone out of print - none of them.

Books stay with me and have shaped me and made huge impacts on my life.

I've got a long list of books I wish I'd never written-and I've kept them all out of print for the past 20 years.

All the books I have written have been one book, from the beginning.

I collect books, primarily first-edition 20th-century fiction.