About “Lost and Found”

1. What was your motivation for writing “Lost and Found”?

The story started, as many of my stories do, with a real incident. In this case, my computer was hacked, and it took me two years to get rid of the hackers. The rest of the story is fiction. I imagined how it would feel for someone living alone to deal with all the problems of growing older.

2. What challenges—if any—did you have writing your story?

Once I’ve immersed myself in writing a story, it flows well until the end.

3. What is your favourite line—if any—in “Lost and Found”?

She settled herself in her chair, watching a silver thread of moonlight wind through the bare trees to illuminate the frost on the grass, then she closed her eyes and let the hooting of owls soothe her.

4. What do you want people to walk away with after reading “Lost and Found”?

I’d like readers to feel – along with the character – that there is always something worth living for.

Reading

1. What are you currently reading?

I’m reading ‘The Book of Guilt’ by Catherine Chidgey.’

2. Do you have a favourite book? If so, what is it?

Some of my favourites include ‘The Seasonwife’ by Saige England, ‘By the Green of the Spring’ by Paddy Richardson, and ‘The Tally Stick’ by Carl Nixon.

3. What is your favourite poet or author, if any?

Catherine Chidgey is my favourite author. I love her use of language to create tension, and her stories are quite dark with no sentiment.

4. Do you gravitate towards reading genres outside the ones you write?

I read fiction, short fiction, flash fiction, and non-fiction.

Writing

1. Why do you write?

It’s a way of making sense of the world by creating motivation behind people’s behaviour.

2. What do you love about being a writer?

I love the silence and solitude, which are essential for immersing oneself in the story and making the imagination work.

3. What time of the day do you write, and do you have a writing routine?

I write every day from about 9.30 to 4.30.

4. Where do you get your ideas from?

Ideas come from observing the behaviour of people, overheard conversations, sometimes dreams. 

5. How long does it take you to write your projects?

It usually takes a year or two to write a short story collection or flash fiction collection, but longer for a novel.

6. What advice would you give to other authors/writers/poets?

Read widely in every genre and read analytically. What makes these characters and situations believable?

7. What project(s) are you currently working on?

I’m working on my ninth book now, which is a collection of flash fiction.