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So I work hard to present the human side of my characters while not neglecting the plot.

For me, plot always comes out of character, so I had to be sure of my characters.

My books are primarily plot driven but the best plot in the world is useless if you don't populate them with characters that readers can care about.

Part of me becomes the characters I'm writing about. I think readers feel like they are there, the way I am, as a result.

I usually start with an ending, then outline high points of things that happen, and kind of make up the rest as I go along. Occasionally, the characters surprise me, and I wonder how we got here. Other times, the characters are stubborn and won't do something I want them to in the story.

I plot the first 5 or 6 chapters quite minutely, and also the end. So I know where I am going but not how I'm going to get there, which gives characters the chance to develop organically, as happens in real life as you get to know a person.

I'm one of the lucky writers: plots come easily to me.

I am not an analytical writer. Once I flesh out my characters and decide on the elements of my plot, the story unfolds in my head almost as though it was a movie reel.