That was the trouble with moving houses; no matter how carefully you packed the books, they never ended up on the new shelves in quite the right place.

I don't think many of us launched ourselves into the world of writing books fully formed.

I spent a lot of time at my grandparents in the school holidays, and the only books in the house were a copy of the Bible and Agatha Christie's 'Murder at the Vicarage.' I developed a taste for murder mysteries and then later discovered libraries, second-hand bookshops, and jumble sales.

I was always writing the books that I wanted to write, books that demanded to be written at the time. But, like most writers, you start off feeling your way.