Language is the ticket to plot and character, after all, because both are built out of language.

Older fatherhood isn't all bad: testosterone rates drop about 1% per year as men age, making them less reactive and more patient, and a professionally established middle-aged man is likely to have more time and money to devote to his kids than a twenty-something who's just getting started.

When you're my age and you see a story, you better go for it pretty quickly. I'd just like to get a few more novels under my belt.

In the digital age of 'overnight' success stories such as Facebook, the hard slog is easily overlooked.