My sensei was a British karate champion named Brian Fitkin. He was my mentor and because I had a hard relationship with my dad he became a father figure to me.

Everyone gets surprised because neither one of my parents play golf. Like I said in my speech my aunt and uncle really love golf and we visited them and she gave me two clubs. Like people think when they don't know who my dad is they think he's my coach.

I needed to step away from music because the truth was I couldn't be the dad I wanted to be to my kids. My truth was that I could not reconcile the two worlds - the entertainment world and being the dad I wanted to be in the present. You can't substitute time you just can't.

My dad wanted me to play when I was a kid so I learned to play the guitar. I pursued a career in music because I love it so much and I enjoy what it does to those who hear it.

I know who my dad is I've met him a few times but I don't even call him dad. I know it sounds horrible but I don't even see him as part of my family to be honest. If you want the truth it doesn't bother me because I don't know any different. I just know that me and my mum that was my family.

One of the accidental joys of my writing life has been that I've had some lovely surprisingly good fortune with readers and I've brought readers to my dad's work. I can't tell you the joy that gives me. Because my father's work was masterful.

If a cow walked into this room I'd probably walk out. I could milk it but my dad never forced me to do a lot of chores like that mostly because he loved doing it himself.

My family was very supportive of whatever I wanted because my grandfather was an opera singer. My dad's dad. So my dad has an appreciation for the arts and he let me choose my own path.

I'm probably a little more like my dad. But because of my mom I never saw being a woman as being an impediment to being able to do something. She had her Ph.D. before I was born.

Going through the grief period of my dad and losing him - that was the worst thing because you know when you get that call. When you are seven eight years old you have that almost vision in your mind of what that's going to be like and what your going to feel like and it doesn't prepare you.