Ninety per cent of the time I'm quite a responsible parent. Strict-ish, keen on broccoli, bed times, no phones/computers/TVs upstairs. The other ten per cent of the time, my thirteen-year-old daughter complains to my husband about my 'immature' behaviour.
Kerry Fisher
I love Latin. My kids study it at school and I have to stop myself from doing their homework. Whenever they ask me what a word means, I say, 'Oh it's from the Latin for…' They roll their eyes and immediately start playing on their phones.
When I was in my twenties and working as a journalist in London, I went out every night. Now my favourite night of the week is when we find a rom-com film and the teens, husband and I all snuggle down with the dog. We must have watched Love Actually and Notting Hill fifty times.
Loyalty is the trait I prize in people most highly. I can forgive any number of unattractive traits but don't let me find out you've been unkind about me behind my back.
I used to think gardening was for people who weren't busy enough. Now I go out every morning to see whether any seeds have grown and feel ridiculously joyful when my lupins appear. My dog likes to run through my poppy patch and scatter the petals like confetti. It sends me into a decline.
I set some of After The Lie in Norfolk, where I spent a lot of time in my childhood. As soon as I go back there, I feel a visceral sense of belonging under those big open skies. I don't even mind when my dog rolls on a dead seal. Well, as long as she doesn't have to get straight into the car…
I lived in Italy for five years, working first as a holiday rep and then as a guidebook author. The main character, Lydia, in After The Lie organises a wedding there. I loved seeing Florence through her eyes - it was like going there myself for the first time.
I'm a sucker for the latest food craze - quinoa, Goji berries, black bean brownies. Surrey reverberates with the sound of 'yuk' every time I serve dinner. I think my avocado ice cream nearly made my kids leave home.
Despite spending hours training my dog, she's incredibly naughty. Recently I had some Spanish friends staying and the husband spent hours preparing the ingredients for a paella. When we went back into the kitchen, the dog was just finishing off the oxtail, bacon and chorizo. I've used lots of her misdemeanours in my latest novel.
I hate the dark and won't watch anything scary on TV. I have to sleep with a little chink of light coming through the door - even my dressing gown on the back of the door scares me. Some of my Bookouture author friends write amazing thrillers but I can't read them because they'll stop me sleeping.
After The Lie is out on 29 April.
