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This month’s featured author
		Diana Gabaldon An Echo in the Bone The Outlander series “You don’t find time – you make it. I was 35 and Mozart was dead at 36. My mother was dead by 40. I’d written tutorials, textbooks, scientific articles, encyclopedia entries and all these other things that no one had ever showed me how to do, so I decided to give it a shot, to write a practise novel, just to get from one end to the other. Maybe I wasn’t up to it, but I’d find out.” Interview with Diana Gabaldon Download an extract from An Echo in the Bone VIDEO: Diana Gabaldon was guest of honour at the Inverness Highland Games. Watch what her fans have to say about her bestselling Outlander series

Previously featured authors
		Complete listing of author interviews, Q&As and audio interviews. View by subject or in alphabetical order by author.

		Barry Cryer Butterfly Brain “I can’t believe the people I have met, never mind worked with... I am more a raconteur than an author. I have spent my working life with comedians, men and women, good ones. They were originals. I am not original at all, my comedy is formulaic, making connections and stories.” Interview: Barry Cryer about his unique familiarity with fifty years of British comedy Barry Cryer's profile and books

		Carl Hiaasen Scat “You can't make the mistake of preaching with books like this, because the kids are too smart. The kids today are far more informed about the environment than when I was young. If you have characters who are good, strong and have a heart, you don’t need to load up the message, because the actions of those characters are the message.” Interview: Carl Hiaasen talks about teachers, war veterans and big cats Carl Hiaasen's profile and books

		Pippa Funnell Tilly's Pony Tails “One of the main things I wanted to do with the books was to make them reflect my life with horses – how I groom them and work with them – so that readers can learn.” “When you are out riding you can’t think of anything else. It is the perfect escape from all your worries.” Interview: Pippa Funnell talks about horses, teenage girls, and her own past resemblance to Tilly Pippa Funnell's profile and books

		Olivia Lichtenstein Things Your Mother Never Told You “I thought that would be quite a good starting point: what if you had a mother who had a whole different life that you knew absolutely nothing about, and how would that change how you feel about her when you find it out?” Interview: Olivia Lichtenstein talks about love, loss, and Lillian Bloch Olivia Lichtenstein’s profile and books

		Henry Porter The Dying Light “They never think that the state may get things wrong and start abusing people, which it does once the power gets in their hands” Interview: Henry Porter explains why constant vigilance is necessary to preserve our liberties Henry Porter's profile and books

		Valerie Martin The Confessions of Edward Day “I was sitting in this room watching these talented and beautiful actresses. They had three minutes to persuade this group of men that they should get the part. I thought, this is worse than publishing: the competition is just brutal.” Interview: Valerie Martin talks about her fascination with the theatre and what she has learnt from observing actors Valerie Martin’s profile and books

		Veronica Henry Marriage and Other Games “I don’t know if anybody knows how to answer what romance is. I always feel it is somewhere you would like to be that you are not at the moment. It is that grass is always greener thing. I don’t want to sound horribly cynical, but once you get what you want it evaporates. We are often questing for something we can’t have.” Interview: Veronica Henry discusses love, forgiveness and the rural idyll

		Denise Mina Still Midnight “I know quite a lot of cops and a lot of them become quite disenchanted very quickly, and I was interested in someone who started disenchanted, because they seem to be the ones who make it.” Read the full interview with Denise Mina

		Joe Abercrombie Best Served Cold “I don’t have a massive amount of patience with the huge, monster series that have come to dominate epic fantasy. I am more interested in what fantasy has in common with everything else than taking it away into an extreme epic area.” Read the full interview with Joe Abercrombie

		Nancy Goldstone Four Queens The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe “I had been researching the thirteenth century for about two or three years by that time and I had never heard of them. I wanted to buy a book on them, but there wasn’t one, so I realised that if I wanted a book on them I had to write it myself.” Read the full interview with Nancy Goldstone

		Gillian Flynn Dark Places “I am fascinated by the whole Satanic panic of the 1980s. I grew up through it and the mythology of the time was that everyone knew someone who worshipped the devil. There were some horrific things, such as the McMartin pre-school trial, that I remember very much from being a kid.” Read the full interview with Gillian Flynn

		Nicholas Coleridge Deadly Sins “For some time I have been thinking that I would like to write a really good book about rivalry between two people over a period of time.” This initial vision has mushroomed into a feud encompassing generations, class and even the North-South divide. Read the full interview with Nicholas Coleridge

		C.C. Humphreys Vlad: The Last Confession “I do feel that energy transfers. The idea of stone tapes appeals to me. If you are of a sensitive disposition, which you have to be as a writer, then you pick up on what happened in a place in some profound way.” Read the full interview with C.C. Humphreys Read a PDF extract from Vlad: The Last Confession

		Erica James It's the Little Things “I think with any writer it is the details that make the difference.” Read the full interview with Erica James

		Maureen Lee Mother of Pearl “The characters often surprise me. I never have messages that I want to get across. People say I write about strong women, but it isn’t that I am trying to get across a certain message.” Read the full interview with Maureen Lee Read a PDF extract from Mother of Pearl

		Alan Bradley The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie “I have always had great fondness for that age of the British mystery story, particularly the village mystery . . . I was profoundly influenced by it.” Read the full interview with Alan Bradley

		June Hampson Damaged Goods “It was such a painful, painful period that I went through. Luckily I came out the other side, but I think the books are a way of making use of what happened to me and then bringing it full circle so something good comes out of it.” Read the full interview with June Hamspon Read a PDF extract from Trust Nobody

		Francesca Kay An Equal Stillness “That is part of what I was trying to say really: to what extent can art really express or communicate anything about the really big things: war, death and so on?” Read the full interview with Francesca Kay Read a PDF extract from An Equal Stillness An Equal Stillness will be read as Book at Bedtime on BBC Radio 4 in February 2009

		Robert Rankin Necrophenia Watch fantasy author Robert Rankin talk about his new book, Necrophenia, and sing his song ‘Writing Far-Fetched Fiction’. “I thought I should write it as if it were an alternative to the way that my life went. Tyler is born the same year as me and does many of the things that I did – like the same school and gigs.” Read the full interview with Robert Rankin Audio interview with Robert Rankin

		Kate Harrison The Secret Shopper's Revenge “Obviously in real life finding your true self and real love don't always happen simultaneously, but they are related.” Read the full interview with Kate Harrison Q & A with Kate Harrison

		Belle de Jour Playing the Game “For all those people who say sex work is degrading, they have obviously never worked in an office” Read the full interview with Belle de Jour Q & A with Belle de Jour Download an extract from The Intimate Adventures Of A London Call Girl Download an extract from The Further Adventures of a London Call Girl

		Chris Jericho A Lion's Tale Around the World in Spandex “People thought I was too small, but I never agreed with them. I just knew that this was what I wanted to do and that there must be some way to do it. So it’s not so much a wrestling book as a book encouraging you to follow your dreams.” Read the full interview with Chris Jericho

		Lisa Hilton Queens Consort: England's Medieval Queens “One of the things I found quite shocking when I was researching was how many mistakes there are in popular biographies, not just in the case of Eleanor, but also in the case of Isabella of France. Eleanor is particularly vulnerable because she was just this towering figure who dominated her whole century. As with all great figures of history there is an awful lot of fiction as well as facts on offer.” Read the full interview with Lisa Hilton Lisa Hilton’s profile and books

		James Lee Burke Swan Peak “There are many pernicious influences at work in American society. The real issue of the 20th century will be the biggest issue of the 21st century, and that is energy and resources.” Read the full interview with James Lee Burke Watch James Lee Burke discuss his new volume of short stories, Jesus Out to Sea, and the effect of Hurricane Katrina on his writing James Lee Burke’s profile and books

		Marcus Sedgwick The Kiss of Death “I remember consciously thinking before I wrote The Kiss of Death that Venice was going to be a character. The city was a gift for the gothic. It’s really beautiful, but rotting to pieces at the same time. The 18th century was when it was considered at its most beautiful but also at its most debauched.” Read the full interview with Marcus Sedgwick Watch Marcus Sedgwick talking about The Kiss of Death Marcus Sedgwick’s profile and books

		Peter Grimsdale Perfect Night Peter Grimsdale also worked under cover in Enver Hoxha’s Albania, one of the most secretive societies of recent history. “It was hilarious. I went on a package tour,” he recalls laughing. “It made Moscow look like Monte Carlo: they still had statues of Stalin.” The trip proved a lesson in how to be a spy. “The trick is to be terribly, terribly low-key.” Read the full interview with Peter Grimsdale Peter Grimsdale’s profile and books

		Robyn Sisman A Hollywood Ending “The way some women are treated in Hollywood is pretty ghastly. I have heard some terrible stories.” Read the full interview with Robyn Sisman Robyn Sisman’s profile and books

		Robert Crais Chasing Darkness “All writers are readers first. I want to tell myself a good story and those are the types of story I enjoy.” Read the full interview with Robert Crais Robert Crais’s profile and books

		Paul Carr Bringing Nothing to the Party True Confessions of a New Media Whore “I found myself hanging out with these people who had multi-billion dollar valuations for their companies and thought, ‘There is a story here’.” Read the full interview with Paul Carr Paul Carr’s profile and books

		Kerry Reichs The Best Day of Someone Else's Life “There isn’t a woman of my age who doesn’t know that half this book is autobiographical,” laughs the 35-year-old, who could probably hire herself out as a professional wedding guest if she ever decides to give up writing. Read the full interview with Kerry Reichs Kerry Reichs’s profile and books

		Richard Mason The Lighted Rooms “I needed to rediscover the joy that made me wake up at four in the morning when I was seventeen and write a short story. The Lighted Rooms really gave me that.” Read the full interview with Richard Mason Richard Mason’s profile and books

		Dan Cruickshank Adventures in Architecture “Over the four days it took to build the igloo I had a lot of time to talk to Andreas, and what struck me was the different context of the whole global warming story, which we are all so familiar with, but here was someone who lives in a society where it is affecting their life very dramatically.” Read the full interview with Dan Cruickshank Dan Cruickshank’s profile and books

		Rebecca Stott Ghostwalk “There are these claims to absolute truth around us all the time, and I guess I have been interested in that grey area between the rational and irrational.” Read the full interview with Rebecca Stott Rebecca Stott’s profile and books

		Jonathan Tropper Everything Changes “We build these very big insulating lives and don’t stop to ask what it is exactly we are building or why. Suddenly you can find that you are trapped in the prison of your own life, realising that you are not very happy.” Read the full interview with Jonathan Tropper Jonathan Tropper’s profile and books

		Jasper Rees I Found My Horn “The more I learned and moved in the world of French horn players and listened out for it at concerts and on recordings, the more my respect for the people who play it well deepened and my adoration of the sound and the huge variety of sounds the instrument can make became greater.” Read the full interview with Jasper Rees Jasper Rees’ profile and books

		Linda Newbery Nevermore “We can’t help making stories of our own lives. It is strange the way that we do that. We know our lives are not stories, but it is as if we know that our lives have to be shaped to have a particular ending. It is bred into us to make stories.” Read the full interview with Linda Newbery Linda Newbery’s profile and books

		Sir Ronald Cohen The Second Bounce of the Ball Turning Risk into Opportunity "Although there are some characteristics, such as determination, a desire to work hard and resilience in the face of adversity, which are necessary and are probably innate rather than developed, most of entrepreneurship can be learned." Read the full interview with Sir Ronald Cohen Sir Ronald Cohen’s profile and books

		Tamasin Day-Lewis Where Shall We Go For Dinner? A Food Romance "We are the first generation who don't eat rabbit," she says with vigour. "Rabbit is one of the most delicious things around. It is free round here – the price of a cartridge. It's better to eat that than fish that is not sustainable." Read the full interview with Tamasin Day-Lewis Tamasin Day-Lewis’ profile and books

		Jeff Lindsay Dexter in the Dark "There is a lot of literature on the subject of hearing that other voice. It is a psychotic symptom. This new book is an attempt at exploring that a bit further." Read the full interview with Jeff Lindsay Jeff Lindsay's author profile and books

		Kate Mosse Sepulchre "I am interested in strong women and putting women out there who are not just looking for a husband or are victims. I love crime writing, but I find it distressing how many women are victims in crime fiction, and even the strong women in crime are strong but at enormous personal cost." Read the full interview with Kate Mosse Read an extract from Sepulchre Listen to an audio extract from Sepulchre Listen to the music inspired by Sepulchre (1 minute and 18 seconds) Kate Mosse’s profile and books Video: Watch Kate Mosse introducing and reading from Sepulchre

		James Lee Burke The Tin Roof Blowdown The Tin Roof Blowdown is a gripping thriller and also a vivid evocation of the horror that engulfed New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina smashed into the Big Easy. "My emotions about what happened are irrelevant; simply stating what occurred leaves one numbed and disbelieving." Read the full interview with James Lee Burke James Lee Burke's author profile and books

		Maya Slater Mr Darcy's Diary “I was talking with friends and found myself saying that I would love to read Mr Darcy’s diary and everybody laughed and thought nothing of it. But it stayed at the back of my mind and just bubbled away.” Interview with Maya Slater Read an extract from Mr Darcy's Diary Maya Slater’s profile and books

		Duncan Bannatyne Anyone Can Do It My Story "I think everybody has entrepreneurial genes hidden inside, but they don't let them blossom because they don't need to." Interview with Duncan Bannatyne Duncan Bannatyne's profile and books


		Thomas Pakenham In Search of Remarkable Trees On Safari in Southern Africa “It is quite funny taking photographs with a man carrying a gun standing beside you in case an elephant comes round the corner and you have to run for it. We were told that if a lion comes, don't for God's sake run, but stand quite still.” Read the full interview with Thomas Pakenham Thomas Pakenham’s profile and books

		Raymond Khoury Sanctuary Sanctuary is special not only because of the page-turning urgency of the plot, but because it is written with a real passion for the subject and the places in which it is set. Born in Lebanon, Khoury was forced to flee in 1984 as the country was engulfed by one of the bloodiest civil wars of the twentieth century. Read the full interview with Raymond Khoury Raymond Khoury’s profile and books

		Marcus Sedgwick Blood Red, Snow White “Until you sort out your feelings about death, you can't get on with anything else. Fiction is a safe place to come across these things when you are young. When you are seven or eight you start to learn about death, but it is when you are eleven or twelve that you start to ponder it seriously.” Read the full interview with Marcus Sedgwick Marcus Sedgwick’s profile and books Watch Marcus Segwick introducing Blood Red, Snow White

		Catrin Collier One Last Summer “One Last Summer is a novel based on my mother, Gerda Jones, and my grandmother Martha Salewski’s wartime diaries. The characters in the novel are figments of my imagination. The traumatic events they lived through are sadly not.” Read how Catrin Collier gained inspiration from her mother’s shocking real-life Nazi experiences for her latest novel, One Last Summer Catrin Collier’s profile and books Catrin Collier's novels listed in series and chronological order

		Jennifer Worth Call The Midwife A True Story Of The East End In The 1950 “I feel huge affection and admiration for these women all these years later. They worked so hard. I think they were heroines. I loved writing the book, because they all came back to me so vividly. I could hear the Cockney voices.” Interview with Jennifer Worth Jennifer Worth’s profile and books

		David Devereux Hunter's Moon Though writing takes him into dark places, his usual work takes him into still darker realms. David is Britain’s first professional exorcist and, as well as writing about demons and the dark side, he has dealt with them, casting them out of offices, homes and bodies. Interview with David Devereux David Devereux’s profile and books

		Guy Pratt My Bass and Other Animals “Serendipity has followed Guy through his life, making him an observant, amused fellow traveller with rock icons.” Read the full interview with Guy Pratt Guy Pratt’s profile and books

		Simon Sebag Montefiore Young Stalin “Stalin is one of those subjects that one never gets bored with. He was incredibly complex and subtle, both diabolical and terrifyingly seductive.” Read the full interview with Simon Sebag Montefiore Simon Sebag Montefiore’s profile and books

		Janey Lee Grace Imperfectly Natural Baby And Toddler The Natural Way From 0 to 2 Years And Beyond . . . “I really hope that the book will credit mothers with the intelligence that they have. The government likes to believe that most of us are stupid. We are not.” Read the full interview with Janey Lee Grace Janey Lee Grace’s profile and books

		Bee Lavender Lessons in Taxidermy “I'm a deeply contrary person, I don't like to be told what to do. That included not dying.” Read the full interview with Bee Lavender Bee Lavender’s profile and books

		Paul Torday Salmon Fishing in the Yemen “The contrast between people who pray five times a day and people who shop five times a day is marked” Read the full interview with Paul Torday Paul Torday’s profile and books

		Matthew Dennison The Last Princess The Devoted Life of Queen Victoria's youngest daughter The journalist and critic Matthew Dennison has written The Last Princess, a compelling and compassionate biography of Beatrice. He believes Queen Victoria's smile illuminates more than her face. It throws light onto a complex mother-daughter relationship that was as loving and devoted as it was domineering and demanding. Read the full interview with Matthew Dennison Matthew Dennison’s profile and books

		Rob Grant Fat “It was amazing how many of my 12-year-old daughter’s contemporaries were on diets or had eating disorders. It’s shameful that we have forced on girls of that age this shape fascism.” Read the full interview with Rob Grant Rob Grant's profile and books

		Annie Sanders The Xmas Factor “We've lost the plot. Christmas is not really about good will to all. It certainly isn't about good will to women ... We started to think about how Christmas expectations had become so oppressive. Four or five months of the year are completely about one day. It's horrendous.” Send an Xmas Factor e-card Read the full interview with Annie Ashworth and Meg Sanders Annie Sanders’ profile and books

		Ian Rankin The Naming of the Dead “The reason I write any novel is that I have questions in my mind about the way the world works,” Ian explains. “I just channel those questions through Rebus and Siobhan.” Read the full interview with Ian Rankin Audio interview: Ian Rankin talks about writing and Fleshmarket Close Ian Rankin’s profile and books Visit Ian Rankin’s website www.ianrankin.net

		Carol Drinkwater The Olive Route A Personal Journey to the Heart of the Mediterranean “I'm very attached to the Arab world, the little I know of the poetry, the sound of the language and the architecture,” she explains. “In a different age I could see myself living out there.” Read the full interview with Carol Drinkwater Carol Drinkwater's profile and books Carol Drinkwater’s website: www.caroldrinkwater.com

		Adam Hart-Davis Just Another Day The Science and Technology of our Everyday Lives “This year I’ve given 37 talks to all sorts of groups of people from Aberdeen to Southampton and in almost every talk I bring up lavatories. People love the disgusting details!” Read the full interview with Adam Hart-Davis Adam Hart-Davis' profile and books

		Lauren St John The White Giraffe “The only thing that I really have in common with Martine is that when I was a kid I was obsessed with survival tips. I collected them. If you were bitten by a snake, I knew what to do.” Read the full interview with Lauren St John Lauren St John's profile and books

		Alan Gibbons Rise of the Blood Moon “I had the idea of tackling strong themes such as tyranny, and realised that I could do that by presenting them in a way that felt relevant to children from all cultures.” Read the full interview with Alan Gibbons Alan Gibbons' profile and books

		Antony Beevor The Battle for Spain The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939 “The myth of the immaculate Republic was something that really did need to be tackled, because it still exists in Spain” Read the full interview with Antony Beevor Antony Beevor's profile and books Antony Beevor's website: www.antonybeevor.com

		Complete listing of author interviews, Q&As and audio interviews. View by subject or in alphabetical order by author.