At 20, 25, 30, we begin to realise that the possibilities of escape are getting fewer. We have jobs, children, partners, debts. This is the part of us to which literary fiction speaks. ↗
I don't remember deciding to become a writer. You decide to become a dentist or a postman. For me, writing is like being gay. You finally admit that this is who you are, you come out and hope that no one runs away. ↗
When I was writing for children, I was writing genre fiction. It was like making a good chair. It needed four legs of the same length, it had to be the right height and it had to be comfortable. ↗
Writing for children is bloody difficult; books for children are as complex as their adult counterparts, and they should therefore be accorded the same respect. ↗
As long as there are musicians who have a passion for spontaneity, for creating something that's never been before, the art form of jazz will flourish. ↗