When he joined the army, the author had the reading age of an 11-year-old. But he can still remember the pride he felt at reading his first book
I joined the army straight out of juvenile detention at the age of 16. I was no criminal mastermind - I burgled the same block of flats repeatedly and was always going to end up getting caught. Read more
'I'm very reassuringly honest'
‘My settings of Europe and English visitors weren't really doing it for them, so we decided Scotland would be good. I thought an island would be great, because it's a small community, and it's an opportunity for my main character to get away from it all. The team at HarperCollins have been so supportive and enthusiastic... Read more