Having a child makes you strong and gives you chutzpah. It relaxed my attitude to the job my center of focus shifted which I think is very helpful because even if you're not a very indulgent actor you spend a lot of time thinking about yourself. I don't think that is particularly healthy.

Liberalism is a really old British tradition and it has a completely different attitude towards the individual and the relationship between the individual and the state than the collectivist response of Labour and particularly Old Labour does.

In the first book of my Discworld series published more than 26 years ago I introduced Death as a character there was nothing particularly new about this - death has featured in art and literature since medieval times and for centuries we have had a fascination with the Grim Reaper.

Contrary to popular opinion things don't go stale particularly fast in the art world.

I had a lot of anger inside me and that came out at times that were not particularly advantageous to me career-wise.

For years I never knowingly went on a holiday. When I travelled it was for work. Now I am a huge advocate particularly to places which have amazing wildlife such as Antarctica India and Patagonia.

Theatre when it is at its best takes a lot of beating - the live experience and the shared collective experience of live storytelling is really special when it is good. Particularly here in New York because the audiences are amazing very vocal and very engaged and that makes theatre very exciting.

I have always had a sense that we are all pretty much alone in life particularly in adolescence.

I know that books I have written will still resonate in 50 years - particularly 'My Sister's Keeper.' It has sold three million copies in the States alone. I strongly feel that as a novelist you have a platform and the ability to change people's minds.

A lot of music you might listen to is pretty vapid it doesn't always deal with our deeper issues. These are the things I'm interested in now particularly at my age.