I do a lot of mental work before I ever start writing.
I'm writing this memoir from the perspective of somebody who's prosperous and has means. Having said that, one of the things that I think I discovered about those additional years is that I don't think they really are added to the end of life.
Writing seems to be the only profession people imagine you can do by thinking about doing it.
You write to suit some sense in yourself and trust that that will resonate with a certain wider readership.
I don't really read what people write about me. Someone gives my novel one star; are they a troll? Are they someone who hates my politics and so has decided to do that?
The New Testament has had a really powerful effect on how I write and how I live my life.
Novels are usually built on conflict, sometimes very, very difficult conflict. It's why men write war novels - because there you go, there's the conflict writ large.
