And no, I am not talking about death. I am talking about the people who are still alive. The ones whose numbers remain saved in your phone. The ones whose birthdays you still remember. The ones you occasionally see in photographs, at weddings, in WhatsApp groups or on social media. People you once loved deeply. People who knew everything about your life. People you now barely speak to. There are friends and relatives with whom I once shared an extraordinarily close bond. We knew the small...

A few months ago, I wrote about starting Book Four over. At the time, I was working on the second draft of the restarted manuscript—and I was on a high. I had finally accepted that starting again might simply be part of my writing process. More importantly, I was sure I had figured out what had gone wrong the first time. My original outline had not been detailed enough. I had begun writing before I fully understood how the story needed to develop from one scene to the next. That had to be the...

I am different with different people. That does not mean I'm pretending or being untrue to myself. It took me a while to realise that. I am not changing who I am to suit the room. My values and opinions remain the same. But the way I express myself depends a great deal on who I am with. Stick with me while I explain... In some groups, I am the person who speaks up. I make the plan, take decisions, steer the conversation, influence the mood of the room, and sometimes change people’s minds. I...