THE PIGEONS ASK…

The Pigeons ask… 

What research did you do for Nasty Little Cuts?

Pretty much all my personal experiences went into this. I’ve had a LOT of bad relationships. Abusive, violent, control freaks, liars, addicts… Married 3 times. The book is dedicated to my current husband who is lovely. What a bloody relief.

I also did research on domestic violence & murder suicides in Britain – this was before the pandemic. It got worse in lockdown

Why do you think you became a writer?

I always loved writing. My mum could barely write. She was a traveller & fairground people didn’t put a lot of stock on that at the time. Mental arithmetic was more important – so she could give the right change on the coconut shy. My grandad couldn’t read or write. My parents really encouraged me to do well at school. And I want to tell stories that resonate with me.

How important is setting for your writing?

I often focus on domestic situations so it’s less important than a novel set in exotic locations. But it’s important to me that the setting feels real. What We Did in the Storm is set on Tresco, on the Isles of Scilly, where I met my current husband.

How much of your writing is built on personal experiences, be they yours or of those you know?

Pretty much all of it. The good, the bad & the ugly.

Name the first book first that forever changed your outlook on life?

Probably A Wrinkle In Time – I realised a book could terrify me and make me cry. But I read so many it’s hard to pinpoint. I read a lot of adult books as well as children’s books when young and that feeling of not quite understanding but being thrilled stayed with me.

 If you weren’t able to write – how would you fill that time?

Having a nervous breakdown.

Describe the happiest day of your life.

It might have been the publication of my first book after wanting it for so long, but that was in the middle of lockdown.

Now, a good writing day. Time with my cats. Perhaps a holiday. I can ruin happy occasions with my anxiety, so any day without that to be honest.

Do you have guilty any shortcuts you take while writing?

I Google a lot – which sounds faintly filthy. It feels like a shortcut because I was a journalist for MANY years before the internet allowed research. On newspapers and magazines, you’d have to look up things in books and documents! I know!

Do you live where you write?

Yes. I write on the kitchen table, which is in the living room as the kitchen’s not big enough for a table.

Which profession do you look at and think: “I’d love to be able to do that” ?

I’d love to be able to be a really good singer or actor. Being able to perform effortlessly.

What is your favourite book of the year and where were you when you read it?

2012 - I’m nearly always in bed when I read. Recent faves – Shuggie Bain, Girl A, The Last House on Needless Street.

What’s your favourite book ever?

YOU CAN’T MAKE ME CHOOSE! I REFUSE TO CHOOSE JUST ONE. If you forced me, on pain of shooting the cats, I’d choose a long one, any Dickens or Hardy.

Which of the senses evoke the strongest memory for you? Is it your earliest memory?

Hearing. Music. My dad cleaned windows by day and played in a band at night. I had a great musical background – classic blues and all the hits of the Fifties and Sixties. We didn’t have a telly, so the radio was EVERYTHING.

What does love feel like to you? 

Relief.

What’s your signature dish?

Jason Momoa. He’s still not called me, even though he’s now free!

5 significant musicians in your life?

David Bowie, Ian Drury, Bette Midler, Billie Eilish, Abba.

 What are your favourite places and those that you dream of?

I met my lovely hubby Geoff on the isle of Tresco. Not in the aisle at Tesco as many assumed. I adore Cornwall. My 4th novel, What We Did in the Storm set there.

I dream of going ANYWHERE at the moment. I’ve not been abroad in 6 years. I’ve only had 1 week off in 4 years when I’ve not been ill. I’d love to go to Europe again or the Caribbean in winter.

Which 3 words do you hope your friends would describe you with / and which ones would they actually describe you with?

Humorous, loving, mad.

They’d probably say the same.

What would your super power be?

To be unafraid.

 Do you have any advice for handling criticisms / compliments, both in life and specifically about your writing? 

I sort of expect it. Doesn’t make it hurt less. Just keep going. No matter what.

Describe your typical day:

Teaching keep fit. Writing. But then all the other things I lik but don’t do often – going out, going for a meal, going to the cinema, going to the theatre. I have bad asthma & had to shield during COVID & now my anxiety is off the scale

Have you ever known a poem off by heart?

At school. The Windhover, Gerard Manley Hopkins. I still love it.

What makes you cry? 

Bloody EVERYTHING.

You can only watch 5 films/tv shows for eternity. What are they?

Schitt’s Creek – helped me through the pandemic.

Breaking Bad – brilliant storytelling.

The Rose – Bette Midler. Fab music.

The Die Hard franchise.

Strictly Come Dancing – Feelgood.

What is your aim as a writer? How does a book do that? 

To make people laugh and cry & think. 

I think a book shares pieces of your heart.

Literary Figures (historical and contemporary): Snog, marry, avoid.

Snog Byron (lush), marry Marian Keyes (lovely), avoid Will Self (too cocky by three-quarters)

Which era would you travel back to and why?

Pre fucking covid.

Stealing a Desert Island Discs questions, what luxury would you take?

Moisturiser

Would you rather be funny or nice?

Nice. But you can be both.

What is your guiltiest pleasure?

8 tons of chocolate/ice cream most nights.

What is the worst job you’ve done? 

Packing in a biscuit factory. Brain numbingly dull & too many chocolate biscuits to shove in my chops. Gave me migraines.

What did a Covid day look like for you?

Wake up in an anxious sweat. Go to work in the gym/pr online. (Thank God for Zoom.) Come back & aerobically sob with anxiety. Write. Watch TV. Read in bed. Sleep. Wake up several times in the night with The Terror upon me. 

How do you unwind? 

I last unwound in the 1978 & many drugs were involved.

What is the closest you’ve ever come to death? 

Car crash at University. Motorway pile up. Decapitated 3 people in the car next to mine. I got away with a smashed cheekbone & even though I was covered in acid, I wasn’t burned. A miracle.

What do you consider your greatest achievement? 

Not killing myself. 

What keeps you up at night? 

See above. Fear & political fury.

What song would you like played at your funeral / wedding? 

Please God, I’m done with weddings now!!! Nice Day For A White Wedding, Billy Fury if pushed.

Funeral, Agadoo. (It’s in Nasty Little Cuts.)

Final meal: you’re allowed an aperitif, starter / drink, main / drink, Dessert / drink, digestif. What would you go for?

I might start drinking alcohol again if it was the last meal. I’d start with a Mojito, then have another 12 & forget the food.