When I began, I thought that the way one should work was to do all the research and then write the book.

My shorthand answer is that I try to write the kind of book that I would like to read. If I can make it clear and interesting and compelling to me, then I hope maybe it will be for the reader.

I came across a lot of material I wanted to use for the Adams book and wasn't able to,

I had been writing for about twelve years. I knew pretty well how you could find things out, but I had never been trained in an academic way how to go about the research.

In time I began to understand that it's when you start writing that you really find out what you don't know and need to know.

Every book is a new journey. I never felt I was an expert on a subject as I embarked on a project.