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You Never Told Me
1. I’ve been living on my boat for fifteen years now. It’s a wide beam canal boat, moored on the beautiful Leeds/Liverpool canal. We were first there as a family of five, with one dog. Then, after my husband left, I was a single mother with three children and the dog, plus two cats. And (briefly) two rats. We loved the rats, but it wasn’t ever going to work with a terrier and no internal doors to close… The number of children onboard went down over a number of years, and now it’s just me, with two dogs (our original and much beloved Abby died last year) and a cat.
2. People often say they can’t imagine living on a boat, because they have too much stuff and the downsizing would be impossible. Before we moved onboard, we’d spent the previous couple of years living in a camper van and then static caravan, so the boat was actually an upsize!
3. My two dogs are both rescues. Kizzy is a staffy/whippet cross, with a touch of border terrier. She’s very sensitive and likes having her tummy rubbed. When you stop rubbing, she looks up with the most tragic eyes in the world until you’re guilt-tripped into carrying on. Dexter is a yorkie/chihuahua mix and has turned me into an absolute convert of small dog appreciation. The chirrupy noises he makes when we’re putting on leads for a walk is the cutest thing ever.
4. I’ve always been a writer, right from the moment I could string words together on the page. It took me a long time to get round to writing a whole book though. A divorce just before I turned 40 was the kick I needed, and the MA in Creative Writing led to my first novel, The Summer of Secrets, being published in 2015.
5. My first novel was set on the banks of the canal and, when I told my son that You Never Told Me was also based on the canals, he told me I needed to write about something else as well, otherwise people would start calling me the crazy canal lady. I’m good with that, to be honest…
6. I’m currently halfway through a part-time PhD, and yes, it is about canals! I’m writing creative non-fiction about the canals of Manchester, my adopted city. My fourth decade was a significant time for me: becoming a single parent on a boat, getting my MA, carving out a new career as a writer and lecturer, and much of that change happened in Manchester. The book that the PhD will become will bring in elements of boaty memoir as well as creating a picture of Manchester’s canals and waterways as I walk around seeing how they have changed and adapted, how they often are overlooked, and how they are represented in the wider story of the city.
7. I’ve been an avid yogi for many years but have recently added power-lifting to the mix. It’s much more accessible than it might seem and it’s absolutely going to be one of my post-50 obsessions! One of the things I appreciate is that you spend an intense five minutes lifting really heavy stuff, then stand around chatting for the next quarter of an hour as you recover. Power-lifters are such a friendly lot, and super encouraging of everyone. My current PBs are a 90kg deadlift and 42.5kg squat, and it’s improved my balance, stamina and energy levels no end. I love it!
You Never Told Me (Black Swan, £8.99)