“I think people want a good story and this I give them. They like something which is readable and you can’t really beat the traditional for this. I write with great feeling and excitement and I think this comes over to the reader.”

On Daphne du Maurier:
“I have heard her name mentioned in connection with mine and I think it is because we have both lived in Cornwall and have written about this place. Rebecca is the atmospheric suspense type of book which mine are, but I don’t think there is much similarity between her others and mine.”

On writing influences:
“Dickens, Zola, Brontes (particularly), and nearly all the Victorians.”

“I write regularly every day. I think this is important. As in everything else, practice helps to make perfect. Research is just a matter of reading old records, letters, etc., in fact everything connected with the period one is researching. I can only say that I love writing more than anything else. I find it stimulating and I never cease to be excited about it.”