It's entirely possible to base an entire book on a long-forgotten letter.
We don't live in a society that has genuine equality, and every woman we know has experienced that.
Social and cultural history is often comprised of whatever diaries and letters remain and that is down to chance and wide open to interpretation.
I believe that being able to communicate directly with readers is a boon. I certainly enjoy it as much as they do.
Most people do a good deal of whatever they do motivated by love. For me, few stories are truly complete without it.
Researching books gets you into nothing but trouble.
Sometimes I create a character from a scrap - a mere mention that has been left behind.
For a writer it's a genuinely interesting and hopefully profitable era that makes a variety of books available to a variety of readers, extending both what's available and who gets to read it.
It's part of a writer's job to be nosy about everything.
I love writing, and just as much, I love undertaking research.
Being a writer is a more difficult job than people imagine.
I realised early on that being an author is a hugely misunderstood job.
Parts of my 20s and 30s have gone by in a flash but my childhood is with me all the time.
Google maps are one thing but there's no substitute for pounding the beat and I spent quite a bit of time figuring out how to break into the back of the houses on Belgrave Place. Once I even for follo...
In crime books it's possible to chart forensic technology by how well it has to be explained to a reader. In mid-Victorian crime novels fingerprinting has to be explained because it's new. Nowadays it...
New technologies and resources offer exciting opportunities. They democratise access to information.
The hard fact is that writing is available to readers because of market factors as much as particular writing talent.
I have a very strong sense that we only know where we are by looking clearly at where we've come from.
I find it inspiring to actively choose which traditions to celebrate and also come up with new ideas for traditions of my own.
Having instant feedback on twitter to research material I'm considering is an enormous help.
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