Hearing that people read my books when they were sick, or that the books helped them find an escape when they were having a hard time... stuff like that makes all the hard work pay off.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
One of the most memorable things I hear is when someone tells me that my books got a reluctant reader to read.
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.
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.
When I was a child and teenager I read whenever I had the opportunity, but since then I've found it hard to read as much as I'd like, children, work, and pets all providing powerful incentives to escape into a book and a practical reason why I rarely do so.
Growing up, books were my lifeline, and I owe a debt to those writers that can never be repaid. They saved my sanity and gave me a world I could escape to. If I can pay that forward to another person, that's all I ask.
I loved to read when I was a kid, and as soon as I realized that an actual person got to make up the books I loved so much, I decided that that was the job for me.
Nothing induces me to read a novel except when I have to make money by writing about it. I detest them.
It gives me a huge buzz when people say they've enjoyed my books, because this grew out of a hobby, and it's an absolute passion, and it's lovely when I get feedback.
One of the great rewards of a writer's life is that it lets you read all the books you want to without feeling guilty.
I like books that don't give you an easy ride. I like the feeling of discomfort. The sense of being implicated.