I firmly believe as an author you have to go out in life and hear the stories of people. In pubs in the UK or a retirement home in the US it is the stories of others that bring a book to life.

I often speak to returning service people about their experiences while serving. Whether in 1915 or 2005, the core issue of facing death on a daily basis remains.

During high school I worked in a retirement home. I spent many wonderful hours hearing from service men and their widows about WWI.

My great uncle fought in WWI. His stories fascinated me.

I was a corporate trouble-shooter for many years, and I know what it is like to walk very carefully into a hostile environment.

I was always a killer. It was my skill, and they’d taught me well. She taught me love.

Spend your leisure time in cultivating an ear attentive to discourse, for in this way you will find that you learn with ease what others have found out with difficulty.

If you think a weakness can be turned into a strength, I hate to tell you this, but that's another weakness.

Neil once told me you had to become a monster so that you didn't become the victim of one instead. I don't care what anyone says. I believe him.

I've been able to find a lot of what I've not had before: freedom, bravery, fearlessness. It's empowering to find those things.

Too many professional development initiatives are done to teachers - not for, with or by them.

Animals are like people because people are animals.

Before the art of medicine comes the art of belief.

And as far as I'm concerned, it's like I say, drugs are not the problem. Other stuff is the problem.

Even if you don't eat at a fast food restaurant, you're now eating food that's produced by this system.

I cannot remember back to a year in which I did not consider myself to be a writer, and the younger I was the bigger that capital 'W.