1) Baddie or Goodie?
I personally am a goodie but I have a major weakness for baddies. They’re always so much more interesting.
2) The first story you remember writing?
I wrote a very earnest, Hans Christian Andersen-inspired account of the life of a 50p piece when I was eight. I was allowed to read it to my entire primary school. Surprisingly, they did not riot.
3) Your go-to comfort read?
The Secret History by Donna Tartt. It has absolutely everything I want in a book: clashing loyalties, unrequited adoration, champagne in teapots and roses that smell like raspberries. And, of course, murder.
4) The last book you read?
The last book I read was C. L. Taylor’s The Escape, which I read on a plane, in one go. Then I gave it to my mum and she read it in one go!
5) Summarise Let The Dead Speak in one sentence:
A murder investigation with no body, a house full of blood, a street where everyone has a secret, and a detective who won’t give up.
6) Where do you write?
In my local library, mostly, or on the sofa late at night after everyone else has gone to bed. Either way, there are few distractions and it’s beautifully quiet!
7) Favourite drink?
Champagne, but I genuinely can’t live without tea. The first cup of tea of the day is a sacred thing.
8) The most awkward book dedication you’ve seen?
Anything that incorporates a nickname or veiled references to something unsettling. Also, lavish praise for someone who is now an ex. Books sometimes outlast relationships and, like the internet, they never forget.
9) Last book you read in one sitting?
I actually read a lot of books in one sitting because if I have reading time, I make the most of it! I read Paula Hawkins’ forthcoming Into The Water in a single day and then lay awake that night thinking about it. She’s very clever!
10) The least likely thing you’d be found doing?
Clubbing. My motto is ‘dance when no one is watching’. It’s better for everyone that way.
Let The Dead Speak is out now.
