'A lot of it is luck'

'With success I think a lot of it is luck. I've met a lot of depressed, frustrated authors who are still lugging their manuscripts around publishing houses. I have to say that a certain amount of it is talent but much, much more if it is hard work and there's this luck factor as well...

I never questioned my ability to write. What I did was question my ability - and in fact my desire - to come up with an idea that publishers would find marketable enough to invest money in.'

Joanne Harris, author of Chocolat and The Lollipop Shoes, in Writers' ForumBritish writers' magazine which is highly recommended for all writers. It features wide range of news and articles which help writers to improve their work and get published: www.writers-forum.com