Oh, I talk about things; I drive my husband insane. And I can't tell a lie. Everyone knows. I do this smile thing.

Nobody who says as little as he does is as simple as you'd think. It takes a lot to not say a lot, because when you're not talking, you're thinking, and he thinks a lot. My mum and dad talked all the time. Talkers don't think much; their words drown out any possibility of hearing their subconscious asking, Why did you say that? What do you really think?

I write human stories. I write about people. Not as a product of their environment. But from the stance that everybody is made of the same thing.

Discover your own style. Don't try to repeat what has already been written - have the courage to do your own thing and don't be afraid to do something different.

After having my baby I felt like I'd been introduced to my life, I slowed down, I paid more attention to simple things, I addressed a few issues in my own life, I even got married, I looked at what was important and what wasn't, and so I used that experience for inspiration.

It's not about finding Mr Right, or that sort of conventional ending, but I do want my characters to have hope - and that's what I do with all my stories.