I hate being told 'it'll never happen', but I also love it - there are a lot of times in life when people might scoff at the things you dream of doing, with a 'yes, but that's everyone's dream, there's too much competition, it's never going to happen'. Wanting to become an author is one of those times. Well, up the bums of those people because here I am! Being told something won't happen pushes me prove them wrong.
Lisa Dickenson by Phil Dickenson
I have a weird obsession with true crime, so I'm sure you'll be seeing a darker novel from me one of these days. Recent fascinations have included Making A Murderer, The People vs OJ Simpson, the trials of Amanda Knox and Oscar Pistorius, and a chap in view of my office who tried to murder someone and armed police had to storm his building.
The best best best feeling in the world as an author is when someone contacts you to say they've read - or are reading - your book whilst on holiday (and liked it). Holidays are such special, memorable times, such well-deserved breaks from real life, so I feel utterly honoured when someone chooses one of my books to enjoy them with.
I have a full-time day job managing a team of ten people at a medical publishers. I often get distracted and start reading all the forensics articles and looking at the gory pictures (see fact above re. true crime).
I'm currently trying to lose weight, to stop my thighs rubbing together. But I can't seem to shift the pounds because I keep eating everything and won't go to the gym. And I love peanut butter. There should be a peanut butter diet. I'm going to invent it and it'll be a HUGE HOLLYWOOD FAD; don't you steal my idea.
I have a Husband who I call Husband Phil. He is tall and has brown hair and sea-coloured eyes, and he tans annoyingly easily. He's very lovely and reads all my books, even when he wishes he was reading Formula 1 news instead.
I don't read while I write - if I'm working on draft 1 of a new book the last thing I do is let myself get engrossed in someone else's novel. If I start reading crime while I write rom-coms, I can't help but start copying the style of what I'm reading, and before I know it my sentences are short and tense and someone is bludgeoning someone else over the head with a rock. Oops.
I have quite thick skin - you get this naturally through being a manager and sometimes having bad reviews (I read all my reviews, all authors do, it's a compulsion even though we know we shouldn't do it to ourselves). But having thick skin doesn't stop me stressing over whether people like me or not.
A key change in the middle of a song will cheer me up no end - it reminds me of the 90s and I loved the 90s, and so should you, because Mmmbop.
I wish I could be as successful as Francine Pascal. Sweet Valley FOR LIFE.
