Nothing beats weaving through the rush-hour traffic or whizzing past the eternal gridlock that is the Strand.

Once you start cycling, the city opens up for you. No longer are you fighting it, hot and frustrated; no longer are you at the mercy of bus drivers, roadworks, decisions made by others and over which you have no control. Believe me, once you've tasted this freedom, you're hooked.

Don't start writing your novel until you know your characters very, very well. What they'd do if they saw somebody shoplifting. What they were like at school. What shoes they wear. Spend days - weeks, months - being them until they thicken up and start to breathe.

I like missing someone and being missed; I like looking forward to seeing him again. I like getting emails and texts with lots of xxx's.