Denise Mina

There's a real emphasis on being witty in Scotland, even in crime novels.

My upbringing was middle-class but my parents' families were both working-class so I had this odd combination of working-class background but in a privileged position.

I think the negative traits are what makes us love other human beings, the foibles and the flaws.

It's good to like yourself, and that only comes from hard work, from doing. But vanity is dangerous; it can trip you badly.

As a young child my attention span was, as I remember it, rather short.

A kid is something precious, and you want to protect it and keep it fun. I'm not a dad, but I've seen people and how they behave with their kids.