The important thing with writing is to be true to yourself, writing what seems right and true. Whilst it's easy to have an image of a writer sitting in their ivory tower protected from the outside influences of publishers and editors, just like any other job the business side of writing starts to intrude. Once you've reached the heady heights of having an editor the freedom to be true to yourself is harder to achieve. But this is one thing to which writers aspire. Being true to themselves and finding their own distinctive voice.
Grace feels that success is a very personal thing.
Success to me in writing terms means writing something that moves me or makes me laugh and gets some way near to expressing what I wanted to say. I really haven't thought that much about the secrets of success in a business sense though I do think that writing novels requires some bravery and that helps to get them noticed. For example parts of Ordinary Miracles are very candid about sex and feelings and personal foibles. Once I found 'the voice' for the main character of Jasmine it just took off. I'd just decided to try and write a novel and didn't feel it had to be a success.