Quote

With each book I write, I become more and more convinced that the books have a life of their own, quite apart from me.

I try to make my books reflect humanity as I see it.

Books allow you to see the world through the eyes of others.

Part of me feels that I'm letting people down by not being as interesting as my books.

Sometimes a book influences me because it winds me up. There'll be something that gets under my skin and makes me think that I can do better.

The importance and influence of books on me has been cumulative: the result of hearing and reading lots of stories about interesting people and places.

So, whenever I'm writing, I'm writing in the presence of all the other books I've read and I think we all are.

All my books are adventures, but they also have a social viewpoint.