It is through our extended family that we first learn to compromise and come to an understanding that even if we don't always agree about things we can still love and look out for each other.
— Sara Sheridan
The most superior Sara Sheridan quotes that are simple and will have a huge impact on you
I always thought that bagels and lox was my soul food, but it turns out it's sushi.
Something I notice speaking to writers from south of Hadrians Wall is that the culture is different. At base, I think Scotland values its creative industries differently from England.
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.
The sky was a sparkling succession of black diamonds on black velvet made crystal clear by the blackout.
Aunts offer kids an opportunity to try out ideas that don't chime with their parents and they also demonstrate that people can get on, love each other and live together without necessarily being carbon copies.
Without archives many stories of real people would be lost, and along with those stories, vital clues that allow us to reflect and interpret our lives today.
Research material can turn up anywhere - in a dusty old letter in an archive, a journal or some old photographs you find in a charity shop.
I've always had a keen sense of history.
My father was an antiques dealer and he used to bring home boxes full of treasures, and each item always had a tale attached.
As an historical novelist - there are few jobs more retrospective.
People make interesting assumptions about the profession.
The writer is a mysterious figure, wandering lonely as a cloud, fired by inspiration, or perhaps a cocktail or two.
Very often the characters people respond to best have little parts of reality they can relate to.
For me, writing stories set, well, wherever they're best set, is a form of cultural curiosity that is uniquely Scottish - we're famous for travelling in search of adventure.
A word out of place or an interesting choice of vocabulary can spawn a whole character.
It is one of the benchmarks of a culture I always think – the page at which it operates. A good way to measure it is to order a taxi and see how irate local people get if it is late.
Writers need each other.
I'm not sure how much easier it is for a mother to balance her life now - have we simply swapped one set of restrictions for another?
There is something particularly fascinating about seeing places you know in a piece of art - be that in a film, or a photograph or painting.
At the end of the day, that's what a family is - a group of different people who accept each other.
If we don't value the people who inspire us (and money is one mark of that) then what kind of culture are we building?
For a novelist, the gaps in a story are as intriguing as material that still exists.
While I'm frustrated at the amount I'm expected to take on in the present, the 1950s woman was frustrated by being excluded - not being allowed to take things on at all.
History at its best is a gritty, dirty business.
Like most little girls, I found the lure of grown-up accessories astonishing - lipstick, perfume, hats and gloves. When I write female characters in my historical novels, getting these details right is vital.
I find it inspiring to actively choose which traditions to celebrate and also come up with new ideas for traditions of my own.
I've found myself moved by letters and diaries in archives as well as trashy, summer blockbusters. It's possible to make a connection with any kind of writing - as long as the writing is good.
Often we don't notice the stringent rules to which our culture subjects us.
Books have a vital place in our culture.
They are the source of ideas, of stories that engage and stretch the imagination and most importantly, inspire.
I believe the era of the militant lady is back.
Grabbing readers by the imagination is a writer's job.
Everyone assumes writers spend their time lounging around, writing and occasionally striking a pose whilst having a think.
Change occurs slowly. Very often a legal change might take place but the cultural shift required to really accept its spirit lingers in the wings for decades.
To me, reading through old letters and journals is like treasure hunting.
Somewhere in those faded, handwritten lines there is a story that has been packed away in a dusty old box for years.
Books exist for me not as physical entities with pages and binding, but in the province of my mind.
The new contract between writers and readers is one I'm prepared to sign up to.
I've met some fascinating people at events and online. Down with the isolation of writers I say! And long live Twitter.
Those who have not been stung will hardly fear a bee the same as those who have.
The net has provided a level playing field for criticism and comment - anyone and everyone is entitled to their opinion - and that is one of its greatest strengths.
Sometimes I create a character from a scrap - a mere mention that has been left behind.
A book is a story, even if it's non-fiction, and once I've read it, I have the story with me inside my head always.
Researching books gets you into nothing but trouble.
Scotland consistently produces world-class writers.
I don't choose between my house phone and my mobile.
I don't choose between my laptop and my notebook. And I don't intend to choose between my e-reader and my bookshelf.
I had never really understood what an adventure life could be, if you followed your heart and did what you really wanted to do, which is what we must all do in the end.
Writing about the 1950s has given me tremendous respect for my mother's generation.
Today women have the rights and equality our Victorian sisters could only dream of, and with those privileges comes the responsibility of standing up and being counted.
Historical fiction of course is particularly research-heavy.
The details of everyday life are there to trip you up. Things that we take for granted, indeed, hardly think about, can lead to tremendous mistakes.
An Aunt is a safe haven for a child. Someone who will keep your secrets and is always on your side.
Writers are a product of where we come from but by looking at alternatives to the culture in which we live, we can find ways to change and hopefully improve it.
It may take a village to raise a baby, but hell! it takes an army to produce a book.
My father could talk about the Romany way of life and its culture.
He could talk about freedom and the Scottish spirit. But that was all he could talk about. I was desperate for someone to talk to but there was just nobody there.