“Children in their young teens are just moving into the moment when they are most receptive to philosophy and psychology. You can explore these things in stories and, in doing so, give them power and control.”

“I always had an awful lot going on in my head, always telling myself stories, very vivid imagination.”

“I am political. But not politically active. I'm not my dad. I'll never write polemic, as he did.”

“I came to writing because I joined the North Clare Writers' Workshop, which met every week at Ennistymon Library.”

“I find it very difficult to say no when I'm in Ireland. You do end up going around doing lots of events and things and not getting work done, and it's not just a question of having hours at the desk.”

“I found it really hard for a couple of years to do any writing because all I wanted to do was play the fiddle. From the minute I took it up, I just couldn't put it down.”

“I had thought about becoming a civil rights lawyer, but I gave it up.”

“I wasn't that bothered with school; I was too mad into horses. But I liked reading and was good enough at English and always liked music.”

“If I have one thing on in a week, I find it very difficult to get back to work that week. I need a lot of dreaming time.”

“If there's a common thread to my books, it is that each involves an individual's journey. The individual must stay true to themselves.”

“Irish mythology is gorgeous, and so are the fairies, but they are very misrepresented in the U.K. They are not little creatures with wings.”

“I've always felt a bit hard done by in England - you know, I've won the Bisto three times in Ireland, but it has felt like nobody has even heard of me in my home country.”

“My first book was an adult novel, 'Down Among the Gods,' published by Virago, and I've written poems as well, a slim volume of poetry.”

“My mum wouldn't have had any time for fantasy stuff; she's more practical.”

“The powerlessness of the child is often forgotten. And after it comes the terrifying phase of moving into adulthood.”

“There's only one set of books I've written that I knew was going to be more than one book at the beginning, and those are the 'Missing Link' books.”

“What I do find enormously gratifying is the reviews my books get from the American press. They are so on the ball compared to anywhere else. It's so satisfying to get a review that conveys the reader understood precisely what I was trying to get at.”

“What I tend to get from America is very enthusiastic letters and e-mail from librarians and schoolteachers, the gatekeepers, though I hesitate to use that word. I've never been a huge seller.”

“Writers want publicity all the time, and they are always nagging their agents and publishers to give them more publicity, but, when you get it, it's kind of soul-destroying.”

“You know yourself, once you've had the excitement of riding thoroughbreds, it's not very interesting riding anything else. But I still love horses; I just don't have one any more.”