1. In early 1990, just after the Velvet Revolution saw the end of Communist rule in Czechoslovakia, I dropped out of university and went to work in Prague. I planned to be there for six months and ended up staying for five years.
  2. If I could, I'd have acupuncture every day.
  3. When I was twenty-five, I went back to university as a part-time student and got an MA in politics.
  4. My son is about to start school so we're writing a book together about a car's first year at school; I wanted to find a playful way for my son and I to explore his feelings about the experience.
  5. I've been freelance my entire working life. I have no idea what it's like to be a company employee, but I've always sensed that it wouldn't agree with me. I like my freedom.
  6. I've been getting up early to write for so long, I don't need an alarm. I wake naturally around 5am every morning.
  7. My plane landed in Bangkok on the day of the Tsunami, barely hours after the island where I'd planned to holiday had been destroyed.
  8. I don't own a single pair of snazzy shoes. I do, however, have a wardrobe bursting with lovely vintage dresses. That's my weakness.
  9. We got our first dog just over a year ago; I've been completely smitten with him since day one.
  10. My two favourite cities are New York and Bangkok. Both are crazy and inspiring.