TRACY CHEVALIER, 45, is an author of historical novels, including Girl with a Pearl Earring. She lives in London with her husband and nine-year-old son
- My mother died when I was young, so I read a lot to escape. It's still a refuge, it's essential for me to go into other worlds. But it could be the pub or a film. A whole industry has grown up around distracting us from reality.
- It's no coincidence that I wrote about history after turning 30. In your twenties, you're screwing around and having fun. In your thirties, you start seeing yourself in the bigger picture.
- The more I study history, the more I see what a heavy legacy Queen Victoria left. How we are supposed to behave is a largely Victorian ideal.
- One would think there was no sex until 1963, so it was a revelation researching Blake and 17th-century Holland. There was plenty of sex before marriage back then. I found that comforting.
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- Writers are becoming brands - knowing about them informs whether you like the book. I don't have that innocent response to my work now: it's a real shame. It must be hellish being an actor.
- I love park life and seeing the shoots come up. We're not tuned into seasons, because we exist in the bubbles of our houses and cars.
- I'd like to learn to ride horses and ski. I'm looking for ways of getting back to living for the moment: maybe being physical is the way. Having a kid is great because they're supremely good at that.