Reading at the Manchester Centre for New Writing
About Me
I get asked a lot at festivals and events if I’ve always written and the answer (if I feel like telling the truth that day) is yes. The first story I remember finishing was about a family of field mice who made a nest in the corner of a corn field and were massacred by a combine harvester. I think I was about six years old then, my fiction hasn’t lightened up much since and I still think happy endings are a bit of a cop out.
I studied English at Uni, thinking it would help make me into a writer. I wrote and almost finished a novel about a woman who built a hot air balloon in her garden shed – and then some bastard broke into my house and stole the laptop I was writing it on. I’ve learned to back up more carefully these days. I went to work in a library, had a baby and decided it was now or never – so signed up for an MA in Creative Writing at the University of Manchester, clutching the first draft of the novel that would become A Kind of Intimacy. I started blogging around this time too.
Since then A Kind of Intimacy has been published in the UK, US and elsewhere and I’ve won or been short-listed for a number of awards for my blog. In 2009 A Kind of Intimacy was included in the Waterstone’s New Voices promotion and short-listed for Sam Jordison’s Not The Booker Award at The Guardian. In 2010 it got a Betty Trask award from the Society of Authors.
Reluctantly, I decided to stop being a librarian, and I now write, edit and teach full time. I’ve just finished my second novel, Cold Light which was published by Sceptre in the UK and William Morrow in the US in 2011.
If you root around enough on this website you’ll be able to find out about my books and short stories, read about the other work I do – including how to hire me, should you wish to – read my interviews and reviews, and contact me with questions, compliments, insults and offers to buy me drinks.
Reading at the 2010 MLF launch for 'Bugged'
About the Blog
(Note: I decided to stop writing my blog in August 2011 – almost four years to the month since I started it. You can find out why by reading my last post – here.)
My blog, Every Day I Lie a Little, is the place to keep up to date with my day-to-day antics. You can grab the rss here.
I link to blogs and websites I like and recommend and try to keep blogrolls updated, but I am only human. Don’t email me offering me cash to link to you because I don’t do that either. If you want to draw attention to your blog, the comments form is the place to do it. I don’t do banner ads. Sorry.
As a judge at the MLF blog awards ceremony. Picture by Gonzopics.
Comments are moderated like this: the first time you comment, your remark will be held in a queue until I’ve checked for myself that it’s sane and not spam. After that, you’re free to comment as you like. I’m free to delete anything I like, although generally, I don’t censor people just because they disagree with me / dislike my writing. I don’t mind swearing but I’ve no patience with hateful and abusive people, cyber-stalking, bullying and cliques. I’ve never had to ban a commenter yet, but if your insanity stops being hilari
