Breakfast at Stephanie's

Author Q&A

1. What’s the best moment for you in the process of writing a novel?

Getting to the end! It’s a bit like giving birth – particularly since a novel takes me about nine months to write and there’s a fair amount of pain and shouting and cries of ‘this is the last time I will ever go through this’, along the way. At the same time, it’s also sad because I get really attached to the characters–only to abandon them.

2. If you weren’t a writer, what career would you want to have?

Easy–maybe I’m getting a bit carried away with the birth metaphors here, but I would love to be a midwife. I can think of nothing more fulfilling or rewarding than helping to bring new life into the world.

3. What scene in your own books are you most surprised you wrote?

All the sex scenes. Although I have a very relaxed and open attitude to sex, have always found it easy to talk about, and love writing these scenes, they still make me blush when I read them

4. What’s your secret vice?

Eating the remains of the previous night’s take-out curry for breakfast–straight from the fridge.

5. What do you give yourself when you need a pick-me-up?

Curry! I’m an addict. I could live on Chicken Tikka Masala.

6. What was your most memorable date (good or bad)?

For our first date, this guy took me out for the most wonderfully romantic dinner. The food, the atmosphere, the location – everything was perfect. It cost a fortune. Afterwards we were in his car, about to drive home when he suddenly opened the door and threw up over the road. It turned out the crème brulee had been too rich. But it didn’t put me off. I ended up marrying him!

7. What is your favorite quote?

It has to be this from Samantha in Sex and the City:
‘You men have not idea what we’re dealing with down there. Teeth placement, and jaw stress, and suction, and gag reflex, and all the while bobbing up and down, moaning and trying to breathe through our noses. Easy? Honey, they don’t call it a job for nothing.’