We don't live in a society that has genuine equality, and every woman we know has experienced that.

It is through our extended family that we first learn to compromise and come to an understanding that even if we don't always agree about things we can still love and look out for each other.

I always thought that bagels and lox was my soul food, but it turns out it's sushi.

Something I notice speaking to writers from south of Hadrians Wall is that the culture is different. At base, I think Scotland values its creative industries differently from England.

I jealously guard my research time and I love fully immersing myself in those dusty old books and papers. It's one of the most enjoyable parts of my job.

The sky was a sparkling succession of black diamonds on black velvet made crystal clear by the blackout.

I believe the era of the militant lady is back.

Without archives many stories of real people would be lost, and along with those stories, vital clues that allow us to reflect and interpret our lives today.

Research material can turn up anywhere - in a dusty old letter in an archive, a journal or some old photographs you find in a charity shop.

Writers of novels live in a strange world where what's made up is as important as what's real.

Books have a vital place in our culture. They are the source of ideas, of stories that engage and stretch the imagination and most importantly, inspire.

Man - a creature made at the end of the week's work when God was tired.

I was a teen star. That's disgusting enough.

Dulcie always found a public library a little upsetting, for one saw so many odd people there.

The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases.

The past will continue to be your future if you drag it along with you.

I think we live only through our dreams and our imagination.

Like a candle in the wind, never knowing who to cling to until the rain set it.

When in company, put not your hands to any part of the body, not usually discovered.

Ian Rush unleashed his left foot and it hit the back of the net

There is no real appeal for me in an image of a woman on a motorcycle.