History is full of blank spaces, but good stories, invariably, are not.

He prefers his adventures second hand.

I am more one for the story, I think, than the action.

Writing's funny, it's like walking down a hall in the dark looking for the light switch, and suddenly you find it, flip it on, and then you discover the hallway you passed through is papered with the novel you've written.

I've always been attracted to stories about rebels - things that are unusual and sometimes dangerous.

History at its best is a gritty, dirty business.