I was always a keen reader. I jotted down one or two things, but it never occurred to me to think of a job in writing. I thought that writers were like demi-gods. I don't know what I thought.

It's not very glamorous. People certainly wouldn't think so if they saw me sitting in my woolly socks at the kitchen table. Many times I sit at the typewriter and think, 'Why am I doing this?'

The appeal of romance is love. And that's universal.

I chose to write the kind of romance I love best - one with a sheikh hero.

Even an animal, if you show genuine affection, gradually trust develops... If you always showing bad face and beating, how can you develop friendship?

I think it is important to pass on the message to young people who are going through a difficult time with friends that it will pass.

When I try to explain to people the big influences in my life, or at least when I first started, the most important ones were my friends who were also writing songs and were typically four or five years older than me.

It is absolutely right for the state to define the rights and status of people cohabiting in different forms of relationships, including civil partnerships.