A busybody's work is never done.

The scribbler's life is never done.

I've never had a study in my life. I'm like Jane Austen - I work on the corner of the dining table.

Iris Murdoch did influence my early novels very much, and influence is never entirely good.

Fear of death has never played a large part in my consciousness - perhaps unimaginative of me.

I'm like Jane Austen - I work on the corner of the dining table.