An IVF patient is - is living and breathing hope. It's... it's, um... it's - You wouldn't do it if you didn't have a sense of hope. Why would you put yourself through it?

I wanted to transmit what it feels like to be on the so-called IVF emotional rollercoaster, and I guess I wanted to offer a shared aloneness to anyone who's desperately longed for a child.

Work infuses my whole life. My creative life is my real life, so it's hard to separate.

I became so focused on this desire to have a child that it really took over over my life, not in a positive way. It definitely impacted on my work, life, and work opportunities: I couldn't travel at particular times. I turned down a lot of opportunities, to be honest.

I think patients and doctors alike minimise the physical, emotional, and financial toll of IVF.

I, myself, don’t like to see a film on Friday night and then forget it by the next day.

Whenever people asked “How are you?” by way of social nicety I lied through my teeth. “Not too bad,” I’d say. Or “Swings and roundabouts.” At least I didn’t say “Fine, thanks.” or “A livid scar cuts across my very being.

I don’t think good films have messages.

One of the most ephemeral and important things is atmosphere and tone and it’s very hard to put your finger on what creates that.

I think it’s restrictive to typecast myself as a novelist because I enjoy other forms of expression. I love literature and I love cinema.