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I have turned away from the thought of writing fiction in the past through what I suppose is, actually, fear. The direct, raw invitation for the reader to come in and explore my imagination is fairly scary for me so I have busied myself with so much else.

When I write, I try to think back to what I was afraid of or what was scary to me, and try to put those feelings into books.

I've always wanted to have a book published - it was a dream of mine, but the thought of actually writing a book made me feel really sick.

It took me a long time to even dare to envision myself as a writer. I was very uncertain and hesitant and afraid to pursue a creative life.

I set out to write a screenplay but, since my early 20s, had dreamed of writing a novel.

I was a fearful kid and, for some crazy reason, a pretty fearless writer.

I'm afraid of only two things: being lazy and being cowardly. I get up early in the morning and go to work. I love to write.

I don't think I've ever frightened myself before when writing, but there were areas where there was terror, as though I was looking into somewhere that I didn't know existed before, and it frightened me.

Getting to the point where I was ready to write a book has been about a 20-year journey of being, really honestly, too afraid to try - which I think is pretty common for people who are trying to write a large piece of fiction.