I always wanted to work at Take A Break magazine, you know, just to inject a little bit of politics into their stories. I applied for a job there after Id done my law degree and didnt even get an interview. I only wrote Garnethill because I didnt get that job! – Denise Mina
I love Mikhail Bulgakov. He is very original and takes the story to unexpected places. I didnt realise political writing could be so funny. – Denise Mina
In the Garnethill trilogy, people always forget that Maureen ODonnells dad was a journalist and she did art history at uni and her brother did law, but no-one ever thinks theyre middle-class – theyre just working class because they speak with accents. – Denise Mina
Even if people do wrong, were social animals, so what can we do about stopping them doing the same things in future? Saying people are bad or evil is just an unwillingness to engage an unwillingness to try to empathise. That sanctimonious attitude doesnt help anyone. – Denise Mina