When I was twelve my ambition was to be a ghost writer for the Sweet Valley series. I devoured those books when I was young, saving up my pocket money and making weekly trips to the bookshop on a Saturday to see if a new one was out.
The Mother's Mistake
When I want to relax I watch Comedy on the TV. I love Fleabag, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Catastrophe, Modern Family, Transparent, Alan Partridge... I find laughter is a great stress reliever.
I can write a first draft of a novel very quickly – in as little as two weeks. But that draft is nowhere near the finished product. For me the editing takes at least twenty times as long as my first attempt. When I edit the story, the characters take on lives of their own.
My biggest weakness is chocolate. I still love Easter Eggs. And if a box of chocolates is open, I can and will eat every single one.
I'd write books even if no one read them. In fact, for a long time, I didn't want anyone to read them. I used to write novels for the sheer pleasure of telling a story. Some of them are still sitting on my hard-drive and haven’t been read by another soul.
I wrote The Mother’s Mistake, a psychological thriller, whilst on maternity leave. Luckily, I haven’t suffered the same stresses as my protagonist, Claire, and I love being a mum (most of the time).
I worked for the BBC for nearly ten years in Business Strategy. It was brilliant to be immersed in a creative environment and I met some inspiring and interesting people while I was there.
I love everything to do with psychology. I think psychology and novels are often two sides of the same coin. Both investigate why people do what they do and how personalities are formed. Psychology looks to explain this, whereas fiction looks to explore the consequences.
A positive review of one of my books from a reader will keep me smiling for a very long time.
In The Mother’s Mistake I named the nasty mother-in-law, Ruth, after myself. I’m still not quite sure why, but it made it more enjoyable to write!