I started out in Scotland, not as a footballer of any note, and I didn't play to draw the attention of people abroad.

Our works decay and disappear but God gentlest works stay looking down on the ruins we toil to rear.

Paper and ink are all but trash, if I cannot find the thought which the writer did think.

The Old Firm clubs are not easy clubs to manage and sometimes I think frustration comes in that, in the end, make you happy to be leaving.

There are people for whom Rangers Football Club is their entire way of life.

From my own point of view, I hope everybody would realise that people who work in Scottish football - referees included - are always under terrific scrutiny.

If you can achieve winning a league championship, that, to me, is the full test of the team and management because it is over the full season and you have a lot of problems you have to overcome.

Whether people like it or not, you have to say the Old Firm are a major part of Scottish football. I know there is a lot of resentment from other clubs about that, but it's a fact.

To me, my characters are more real than most people I meet.

What I like about writing is the sense of godlike power it gives you.

When I vacate this sack of old bones I won't care what you do with it. Bury or burn it but don't make much fuss.

You don't turn out as many books as I did then by sitting around, being cozy with the family.

As regards to personal safety, you do have to be careful not to put yourself at risk when travelling in South Africa. You don't want to go out exploring at night, for example.

At the age of 12 I won the school prize for Best English Essay. The prize was a copy of Somerset Maugham's 'Introduction To Modern English And American Literature.' To this day I keep it on the shelf between my collection of Forester's works and the little urn that contains my mother's ashes.

Authors can only soft sell the environment. Create a wonderful story around the environment involving the characters that leaves a lasting impression on the reader's mind.

Cape Town's beaches are superb and while the water on the Atlantic side is damn cold, it's very pleasant on the other side. Bring your golf clubs if you play - Cape Town has some fabulous golf courses.

Despite the fact that I spend a lot of time in London, Switzerland and New York, Africa is the place I know and love best, and my heart will always lie here.

For the past few years my fans have made it very clear that they would like to read my novels and revisit my family of characters faster than I can write them. For them, I am willing to make a change to my working methods so the stories in my head can reach the page more frequently.

Herbert, my father, was born in Britain but went out to Africa in his teens to join his father and built up an 18,000-acre ranch in what was then Northern Rhodesia, providing work for the locals. He was my hero when I was a boy.

I believe that a healthy body breeds a healthy mind. I am 74 years old now and my wife, Niso, is 38 years younger than me. She absolutely insists that I take regular exercise with her.