Grief is a room without doors - but somehow, with its tinsel and cliches, Christmas finds a way in.

I was always a writer, by which I mean I was always scribbling away, doing something with pen and paper.

As a single parent, I had become tyrannical in order to survive, and anything I couldn't control caused me enormous anxiety. As a naturally untidy, disorganised man who never made lists or kept receipts, morphing into someone who could take care of a toddler on his own may have caused me to overcompensate a little.

In world mythology, there are countless examples of tragic characters whose greatest strength is also the source of their undoing. But the ancient Greeks and Romans also held the view that acceptance is the beginning of wisdom.

...I like stories very much,” the priest said. “They help me understand myself better.