What was your favourite childhood book and why?
I was an avid reader and loved anything and everything. Magical stories set in parallel worlds were a favourite, but also stories which were grounded in our world and had an element of the strange. I read a lot of mysteries and tales of the sea, and any ghosts stories I could get my hands on. Those early influences have stayed with me, and I still love a creepy page-turner!
Which of your own books is your favourite and why?
Too difficult so I’ll choose my latest! I adored writing Honesty and Lies. It’s set in a very cold Elizabethan winter and told from the perspective of two maids at Greenwich Palace. Bringing to life the sights and sounds of London was such fun and there were some particularly stinky smells around the Thames and the privies at the time! I enjoyed researching Queen Elizabeth I, the Globe theatre and Shakespeare and highlighting the difference between the rich and the poor. It’s a tale of intrigue, scheming and plots, but is ultimately about the power of storytelling and the importance of true friendship.
Why do you choose to read?
Reading is my favourite pastime. When I open a book, I know that I’m about to take my mind on a journey, discover someone else’s ideas on life, walk in other people’s shoes. It’s a magic which exists between the storyteller and the reader. While I’m wandering through other people’s world’s I learn things about them and about myself too. Every time I read, I feel that I have new ways to express myself and that my imagination has grown. It makes me ask questions and find answers to all sorts of things, and it helps me to know that I’m not alone. I love it!
