Sara Sheridan

An eerie atmosphere leeched from the soot-damaged walls. It was as if the house had died, and yet she felt she belonged here. It was as if the old place wanted to claim her from the grave.

There was something unbearable about the damp, dark earth closing over a coffin and the still, empty flesh that was inside. She had attended a hundred funerals, but when you really loved someone there was something too final about a burial. Something brutal.

Parts of my 20s and 30s have gone by in a flash but my childhood is with me all the time.

It__ not until you__e older that you realise how important the things that happened to you when you were a kid are. Even things you only half remember.

Today is the anniversary of my husband__ death," Maria announced. It was a dramatic statement, but the occasion seemed to demand it. "And I am going to leave.

As a historical novelist, there are few jobs more retrospective.

Researching books gets you into nothing but trouble.

Being a writer is a more difficult job than people imagine.

When a chap is passionate, the readership can sense it.

The space where I write is in my head, I suppose.

It's part of a writer's job to be nosy about everything.

I'm a professional writer and I consider it part of my job to publicise my work and these days part of that job is done online.

I love writing, and just as much, I love undertaking research.

Edinburgh is a comfortable puddle for a novelist.

I jealously guard my research time and I love fully immersing myself in those dusty old books and papers. It's one of the most enjoyable parts of my job.

In the industry, trying out new genres is not always encouraged but what I've discovered is that as a writer, a jaunt outside my comfort zone generally brings new skills to the main body of my work.

I realised early on that being an author is a hugely misunderstood job.

I remember calling the council's cemetery department to ask about body decomposition in different soil types. Once they had verified that I was a novelist and not a sicko, they were extremely helpful.