Q: From where do you draw your influences and inspiration for your writing?

A: "Impossible to answer! From everything I see, every book and newspaper I read, everyone I know, everything I've ever thought about, every dream I've ever had, every momentary glimpse of a face through a window - everything."

Q: How closely can you relate personally to your characters? Is there one character in particular you can relate to most of all?

A: "I'm not sure I 'relate to' my characters - not sure what 'relate to' means, really. Does it mean 'like'? Do I like them? Well, I find them interesting, certainly. Some of them I get impatient with. If you get impatient with people in a story, you can kill them."

Q: How does writing for such a wide audience affect your writing? And do you have a specific audience in mind when writing the books?

A: "I never consider the audience at all. I think it's a great mistake. You might as well set up a focus group and ask them what sort of story they want. They'll say "One just like the last one we enjoyed." In other words, they haven't a clue. They can't think of anything new. It's the storyteller's job to think of something new: the audience can't do it. Think of something new and write it as well as you possibly can, and then write THE END; then pick up another piece of paper, and write CHAPTER ONE.

Q: What is the best part of coming and talking at festivals such as Hay?

A: "My readers write to me all the time, so I'm always in contact with them, and meeting them in person is fun but not the only reason to come to festivals. The nice thing about Hay and other festivals is meeting other writers, because we're usually solitary and don't get out much - or we shouldn't, if we're working properly. But to have a chance to sit around and talk to people you admire from their books or know slightly in person - that's a very enjoyable thing."

Interview by Joe Westhorpe from the Beacons Project