Kate Mosse

“There is no pattern the human mind can devise that does not exist already within the bounds of nature...Everything we do, see, write, notate, all are an echo of the deep seams of the universe. Music is the invisible world made visible through sound.”

“People think that I'm very serious.”

“Actually, I can write anywhere - airport lounges, in bed, on a rattling train going north.”

“We are who we are, be­cause of those we choose to love and be­cause of those who love us.”

“Free and fair access to books - to reading - is a right and one we should fight for.”

“I really like people and I keep friendships. I have people from all parts of my life.”

“Library campaigners are not prepared to stand by and watch something they cherish be dismantled brick by brick.”

“All prizes have a role, if they are run with integrity and with a clear focus on reading and quality writing. I don't think any of them is necessary, but they all play an incredibly important role in building a body of literature, in introducing new authors to new readers, and extending reading.”

“I read a lot of thrillers, especially American crime novels.”

“The colour of the magpie, her father was saying, was symbolic of creation. The void, the mystery of that which had not yet taken form. Black and white, he said. Presence and absence.”

“I am not a fan of historical fiction that is sloppy in its research or is dishonest about the real history.”

“The dead leave their shadows, an echo of the space within which once they lived. They haunt us, never fading or growing older as we do. The loss we grieve is not just their futures but our own.”

“Lots of people have objections to prizes of all types, and it would be extraordinary if everybody agreed on anything that's worthwhile - they never do.”

“For when all else is done, on­ly words re­main. Words en­dure.”

“The message is clear: libraries matter. Their solid presence at the heart of our towns sends the proud signal that everyone - whoever they are, whatever their educational background, whatever their age or their needs - is welcome.”

“Usually I decide on what it is I'm writing next by the books I'm reading.”

“People have different views of how you deal with different issues in literature, and, frankly, long may it last that there is a range of views.”