Sarah Hall

It's taken me 15 years to feel I might be able to write and publish short stories, and for the assiduous checks of the industry to allow some through.

I wander around the house and write in bed, at the kitchen table, by the window, in the yard.

I used to dislike bookshops immensely as a child and was won over only later in life.

There are two problems for our species' survival - nuclear war and environmental catastrophe - and we're hurtling towards them. Knowingly.

What people don't understand about Sarah Palin is that she is a rancher's wife. From Alberta down to Texas I've known women like that: good common sense, bright and vilified by city people.

Without effective protection of the citizens' right to property, it will be difficult to attract and accumulate valuable capital.