There's A Real Emphasis On

I Have Two Children. They Are More Fun Than Anything In The World, And It's More Immediate Fun Than The Hard Slog Of Writing.

In The 'garnethill' Trilogy, People Always Forget That Maureen O'donnell's Dad Was A Journalist And She Did Art History At Uni And Her Brother Did Law, But No-one Ever Thinks They're Middle-class - They're Just Working Class Because They Speak With Accents.

To Have A Very Strong Opinion All The Time Is Corrosive To A Person's Intellect. It Becomes Your Default Position.

I Came From This Very Traditional Background And I Benefited Hugely From Feminism. I Felt Privileged Going To University And Doing A Phd. Most People Of My Background Don't Get To Do That.

Even If People Do Wrong, We're Social Animals, So What Can We Do About Stopping Them Doing The Same Things In Future? Saying People Are 'bad' Or 'evil' Is Just An Unwillingness To Engage; An Unwillingness To Try To Empathise. That Sanctimonious Attitude Doesn't Help Anyone