Q&A: novelist Sally Page

Could you tell us what The Secrets of Flowers is about, and what inspired it? The Secrets of Flowers is a floral story of recovery and discovery. It is inspired by my own love of flowers. I used to run a flower shop and ever since I was a little girl I have loved flowers. A year on from the death of her husband, Emma is trying to make sense of her loss, and she decides to take a new job in a garden centre as a trainee florist. There, she is persuaded by the owners, Betty and Les, to attend a talk Les is giving on the Titanic. As a result of this Emma becomes intrigued by whether there were flowers on board and if so, who was the florist. Her subsequent investigation draws in many others who help her, and not only does she discover that the Titanic was 'a ship full of flowers', but she finds her way to a new life. In the course of her research Emma experiences a feeling of connection with a stewardess on board, but she cannot understand why...