What advice would you give to young aspiring writers?

The Almond Tree took me seven years to write. It could have taken me twenty. I wasn’t going to stop until I achieved what I set out to achieve. Don’t give up. Writing is about rewriting. Be prepared to rewrite many times.  Read like a writer as many books as you can.  See how your favourite authors moved you. I found writing courses to be very helpful. I took twenty-one on-line writing courses through Writer’s Digest.