So many people suffer from abuse, and suffer alone.

When I came off the boat I was very proud of the thick calluses which had developed on my feet. But now, I am struggling to get into my favourite high heels which is a shame, as I have so many.

Most people who went about saying a ghost had poked them with a brolly would be locked up somewhere.

The notion of a contemporary epiphany to me is very exciting, because it's a sort of biblical thing. It's something that has happened to people in other centuries or in the context of religious experience.

We have a couple of dogs, but I wouldn't describe myself as an animal person.

There was a special challenge in describing the awful childhood of a person who happens to be my own husband. It was very painful at times, for both of us.