“If I've got one thing that I really believe about fiction and life, it...” — Jane Gardam Quote

If I've got one thing that I really believe about fiction and life, it's that there are no minor characters.

Mum was a tremendous Anglo-Catholic. Very impressive, actually. She made me go to church for years - I still don't want to because of that.

Stories of all lengths and depths come from different parts of the cave. For a novel, you must lay in mental, physical and spiritual provision as for a siege or for a time of hectic explosions, while a short story is, or can be, a steady, timed flame like the lighting of a blow lamp on a building site full of dry tinder.

I hate the idea of sequels. I think you should be able to do it in one book.

No victim wants their minor story to be told.

Before coming here I had a minor back problem and I thought whenever I play Pakistan I get a back problem.

Something even minor I do is going to be reported because of things that have happened in the past. You have to be aware of that.

I am involved in minor league baseball. I go around the country speaking to troubled youths, trying to help them understand that whatever path they choose, they'll need to really pay attention to it.

Minor writers think style is all.