ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH

I've certainly always had a very high regard for Botswana and so I paint a very good picture of the country and I've never pretended to be painting an entirely realistic picture.

I have three older sisters, so we were a reasonably large family and, in general, a happy one.

If you lose sight of the smaller accomplishments, you end up with an imbalance in your life.

You're always told by your publisher that you must only write one book a year and some years you should perhaps write none at all.

Painters aren't expected to paint bleak pictures, are they?

As a writer, you have to realize that people want to like the characters, so you have to be careful to keep them involved.

New York is a wonderful place to be up, an awful place to be down.

The point of opera is that people are moved by the emotions and music.

I've also long since realized that the way to really engage children is to give out prizes; it's amazing how it concentrates their minds.

You do not have to ladle on the impasto to make a point about human frailty or ambitions.

Fiction is able to encompass books that are bleak and which dwell on the manifold and terrible problems of our times. But I don't think that all books need to have that particular focus.

I just focus on getting the first scene right, with a few lines about the overall plot, and then the book grows organically.

Writers obviously have to bear witness to the harsh face of the age.

That my philosophy of life is, as far as possible, one of enjoyment. I'm not nihilistic.

Baboons take a bit of getting to know but, apparently, once you break the ice, so to speak, they are complex and interesting creatures with elaborate societies.

I am capable of being idle.

I write four books a year. I'm very fortunate that I write quickly; around 3,500 words a day. Being strict about delineating my writing time and personal life, as well as keeping distractions at bay, is the only way I can accomplish this.

Who can't like pigs? They're wonderful creatures! I've always liked pigs.

My parents were very supportive and always encouraged us. My father was a gentle, nice man. My mother was quite a colorful character and a keen reader who encouraged me to write.

Botswana is actually very peaceful. It's democratic. It never was in debt. They've been fortunate, they've had diamonds.

As a writer I've learned certain lessons. One of them is to be careful about how you put a view, and to bear in mind how easily and readily you'll be misinterpreted.

I've always had a creative urge and I get immense satisfaction from creating something because it feels like I'm making sense of the world and imposing order on it.

Oh I love gadgets and I pride myself on keeping at the cutting edge of technology.

Wherever I go in the world, people all know about Scotland Street and are always asking me about what's going to happen to the characters next.

Every novel presents a slice of life. A noir policier for example presents one slice, one that perhaps addresses social dysfunction or some sort of pathology, while mine present a slice that is more upbeat and affirmative.