Book Questions
Tell us your latest news?
My next release is called Hetty and comes out on May 1st. It’s a new adult novel about a girl whose image ends up on the side of a derelict building (for some reason…)
What book are you reading now?
I’m about to start The Night Mark by Tiffany Reisz.
Your books are so emotional. How long does it take for you to be able to get the characters out of your mind and move on to the next?
The very first characters I created (five or six years ago) are still in my head and living, too. You don’t ever move on. You just tell the story they want to tell at the time. Then you never know if they’re going to tell you more later down the line…
Are the names of the characters in your novels important?
Sometimes.
What are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer?
I was a journalist before I wrote fiction so the transition wasn’t too drastic. I’ve always been incredibly disciplined and yet I never take myself too seriously. The writing, yes. Myself, no.
What is the most demeaning thing said about you as a writer?
Oh, that I was writing books to rob people…
How do you react to a bad review of one of your books?
I don’t react. You can never please everyone. You love a book, put it out there, and some people will worship you for giving them a piece of your heart, while others will assume you set out to confuse them on purpose.
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
The hardest part of writing any book is the first blank page. After that, it’s easy. Well, not easy. Just hard to contain myself once I've overcome the first hurdle.
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
I’ve learnt that every book breaks me in a bit more, so the books thereafter come easier.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
There are messages in all my novels but some are more deeply embedded than others. I think readers need to go back a few times to spot the secrets I hide within the pages.
Have you ever read or seen yourself as a character in a book or a movie?
No!
Describe in 5 words, your writing:
Mind-bending, consuming, passionate, intentional, pulverising.
What do you use to write your book?
What don’t I use?
Do you listen to music while you write or read?
Rarely, but sometimes in a break, I’ll listen to a particular song to get me ready to write the next scene.
If you could write with any other author(s) who would it be and why?
Probably my husband, but he’s a very abstract writer. He’s of the opinion that writing shouldn’t make sense!! Yeah, try working with that…
NON- BOOK QUESTIONS
When you were a child what did you want to be when you grew up?
Writer.
Did/Do you have a nickname?
Several then, several now – none of them that good!
What are your pet peeves?
People posting relentless negative shit on social media for no reason other than to piss other people off.
What is your favourite coffee shop drink?
I quit caffeine last year, so probably hot chocolate these days! With all the trimmings.
What's your favourite tv show?
There are too many! Some of my faves at the moment include Homeland, Lucifer, Man in the High Castle, The Night Manager… any good dramas. I used to be a massive Sex and the City fan but I watch that back now and realise how out of date it is already.
What is your favourite kind of cookie?
Really chewy.
If you were stranded on a deserted island, what three things would you have and why?
A cow that produces chocolate milk, an unlimited supply of shampoo and the complete works of Shakespeare! Surely self-explanatory.
Where would you go if you had a time machine?
Jane Austen era.
Which is your favorite quote?
There are too many.
If you were an ice cream what flavor would you be?
Ice cream, bleugh! Vomit flavour probably! Ha!
What song best describes you?
You’d have to ask my husband.
THIS OR THAT
Pepsi or Coke
Neither seeing as though I quit caffeine
Michael Fassbender or Colin Farrell
Fassbender
Cows or Sheep
Cows
Castle or Town house
Castle
City or Country
Country
Lover or Fighter
Lover
Pop or Rock Music
Rock
80’s or 90’s
Child of the 90s, sorry.
Singing or dancing
Singing
