"I have been made redundant. I've lost my job," was the shocking news I received when I bumped into a former colleague recently. The news was delivered with a stoic smile, but the pain of this loss of a successful career was palpable, "I'm too young for retirement, I've still got so much to give." Her eyes welled up, my eyes welled up. Read more
'I've been lucky'
As someone who's on their sixth novel and has had their ups and downs, I'm aware of how privileged and lucky I have been, and what a shock it can be for debut writers - all the reality of that world, and that new voice and when the book doesn't quite take off, it's a shock. Read more