I have always wanted to write a book but I haven’t always wanted to be an author. I didn’t realise that once I’d written one book, I would be persuaded to write another one, and another, and another…! Signing a contract with a major publisher really does focus your mind.
Her Last Promise
When writing to a deadline, I set myself a word count of 1,000 per day. If I exceed this, I’ll have a day off as a reward.
I write in a converted garage in the garden, away from such distractions as daytime television, housework, phones and the constant need to put the kettle on.
Our dog, Teddy, an Airedale Terrier, died three years ago leaving us all heartbroken. He is however immortalised as Leo, in my first book, The Letter.
My favourite book of all time is George Orwell’s Animal Farm. I studied it for English O Level and before the lesson the teacher would lead us all in a rendition of Beasts of England! In The Letter, one of my characters names his horse Boxer, after the stoic cart horse in Animal Farm, who literally works himself to death.
My favourite film is Jaws. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve watched it, but with every viewing I see or hear something I’ve not noticed before.
The best part about the book writing process is meeting readers and giving talks at book shops and libraries. I also enjoy the research and learning new things. The worst part is sitting down to write and staring at a blank screen wondering what on earth to write next.
I sometimes become so fond of my characters to the extent that I will change the plot from killing them off to sparing their life. My second book, The Secret, had a totally different ending to the original one.
In order to remind myself of what a character looks like, I will cut out a picture of a famous look-a-like and pin it to my whiteboard. For instance, in my latest book, Her Last Promise, Violet Dobbs looks like Scarlet O’Hara, Leo Perez resembles a young Antonio Banderas and Beryl Dobbs is Ivy Tilsley from Coronation Street.
I like to relax by running and regularly compete in 10K races. I’m also a fan of football and have a season ticket at Manchester City. My husband also has a season ticket – at Manchester United!