You Would Go Mad If You Began

I Had No Sense Of Any Reputation That What A Carve Up! Might Acquire - At The Time I Didnt Even Have A Publisher, So My Main Worry Was Whether It Was Even Going To See The Light Of Day Or Not.

But I Have Always - Ever Since The Accidental Woman - Written Novels About Individuals Attempting To Make Choices In The Context Of Situations Over Which They Have No Control.

For Many Weeks After [my Wife] Died, I Could Not Get Used To The Feeling Of Coldness And Lifelessness On Her Side Of The Bed - And It Was Even Worse When They Took The Body Away And Buried Her.

I Was Mainly In A State Of Nervousness While I Wrote It - Nervousness That It Was Far Bigger And More Complicated Than Anything Id Attempted Before, And That Maybe My Talent Just Wasnt Up To It And The Book Would Have To Be Abandoned, Or Would Turn Out Not To Work At All When It Was Finished.

My Only Regret Is That I Signed Away The World Rights And In America They've Been Far And Away My Most Successful Books, But I Never Saw A Cent From Any Of It.