I find the presence of the sea quite inspiring, and sometimes I do just get out and walk around and take in the sea breeze to try and clear my mind.

In all my books, I try to have a strong element of realism underlying the fantastic.

I don't mind being a tourist at all, and a gawker. I just walk around.

With the 'Old Kingdom' trilogy, at least half the readers were older adults rather than younger adults. I wrote them for myself with no particular audience in mind.

I tend to think of stories and books as being for everyone, just with an 'entry reading age' rather than an age range.

In any genre you're working in, you can always find a way to tell a particular kind of story. I love fantasy; I love science fiction. I love all kinds of fiction, in fact.