- What is the best part about writing?
Disappearing into other lives and worlds – getting to know characters so well you can imagine them breathing as you write.
- What advice would you give to your younger self about writing?
Keep practising – this is the only way to develop your skills. Reflect on rejection, listen to feedback, and get back to work!
- What are you working on at the moment?
Just finishing a draft of a novel and I always have a couple of short stories in development. Currently trying to finish one I’ve been working on for a couple of years – the ending is proving slippery!
- Do you also teach or mentor writers?
Yes to both and love how teaching/mentoring complements my own writing life – it sounds cliched I know but I learn continuously about writing from teaching. I also enjoy the camaraderie of being with other writers – it gets lonely
- Tell us about your writing schedule.
It fluctuates depending on other work commitments but I do know if I leave a project alone for more than a week or so when I’m drafting it I run the risk of disconnecting from it and then getting back into it is painful. So I try and do a little bit often to avoid this and I write with a timer ticking away to keep me focussed. I use a clunky and loud kitchen timer and feel great when it goes off as I know I’ve stayed in the zone!
- Favourite Writer
For short stories Raymond Carver is the writer I return to as each new read of one his stories offers me something new to think about.
Surrey New Writers Festival 