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
We dont really go in for big family dinners, but Scottish people are famously confrontational. Its a cultural thing, so maybe we dont need to have them to clear the air. Also, traditional family food isnt as nice here so theres no payoff for traveling hundreds of miles. – 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