Once you get into the world of dystopia, it's hard to avoid plagiarism, because other people have had such powerful visions.
I believe that, by and large, people are good and everybody you meet is more likely to surprise you in a positive way than in a negative way.
A children's author on a soapbox is not a pleasant sight but I have become drawn into issues, slightly unwillingly, relating to young people, literacy and youth justice: just look at the number of young people we have locked up in prison, and the uselessness of it.
You're trying to tell me that everything you've done is for a good cause. You think that all this killing is worth it because of the results. I'm not sure I agree. Lots of people work for charity; lots of people want to change the world. But they don't have to behave like you.
But then, he thought, most politicians are small and shabby, the sort of people who have been bullied at school. That's why they become politicians.
Look at self-satisfied pop singers or greasy, semi-literate athletes. People worship them. Why?” "Because they’re talented.
When you are rich, people treat you with respect.
There's a name for people with an interest in the moon," Alex said. "They're called lunatics.
I fear dying in the middle of a book. It would be so annoying to write 80,000 words and not get to the end. I'm phobic about it. So when I'm writing a book I leave messages all over the house for people to know how the story ends, and then someone can finish it for me.