“A short story is the ultimate close-up magic trick -- a couple of thousand words to take you around the universe or break your heart.”

“Television and cinema were all very well, but these stories happened to other people. The stories I found in books happened inside my head. I was, in some way, there.It's the magic of fiction: you take the words and you build them into worlds.”

“Short stories are tiny windows into other worlds and other minds and other dreams. They are journeys you can make to the far side of the universe and still be back in time for dinner.”

“It is going to take more than just a couple of good-hearted souls to raise this child. It will take a graveyard.”

“Stories are made up by people who make them up. If they work, they get retold. There's the magic of it.”

“I once made up a story as a wedding present for some friends. It was about a couple who were given a story as a wedding present. It was not a reassuring story. Having made up the story, I decided that they’d probably prefer a toaster, so I got them a toaster, and to this day have not written the story down.”

“Trust your heart, trust your story.”