But is the story a fake?

"When I write, I aim in my mind not toward New York but toward a vague spot a little to the east of Kansas."

Well, the first is the old rule given to children: you shouldn't hit someone smaller than yourself. This means, for instance, that you shouldn't tear the work of young writers to pieces. First - and even second - novels should be treated indulgently. As children we were also taught never to hit girls. This rule is no longer applicable in the world of letters. There are lots of tough cookies well able to take care of themselves among the literary sisterhood. Women often have very sharp claws themselves: indeed four of the eight shortlisted Hatchet Job reviewers are women, and two of them were tearing other women's work apart. None of the four men shortlisted - the other three are Craig Brown, Ron Charles of The Washington Post and the historian Richard Evans - had a go at a female writer. (So perhaps chivalry is not dead?)

'I'm used to spending a lot of time by myself. It's the difference between being an introvert and an extrovert. Extroverts draw energy from being around people; and introverts draw energy from being on their own.' So, she enjoys solitude. 'Yes. Not to the extent of shunning all human companionship, but it's nice to come home at the end of the day and have your book and your little glass of whiskey.'

The Frontline Restaurant