Favourite childhood books/authors?
I don’t think it would come as a shock if I said I was an avid reader as a child. I would devour most books put in front of me, and I made full use of the school library. As a youngster I loved Judith Kerr’s books, including Mog The Forgetful Cat and The Tiger Who Came To Tea. When I got a little bit older I remember loving The Diary Of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ by Sue Townsend, and as teenager I got hooked on my first historical crime series by Paul Doherty, his Hugh Corbett mysteries.
Your comfort read – a book you can return to again and again
I don’t often re-read books, as there are just too many good books published that I haven’t yet read, but there is one particular book that comes to mind. I’m not entirely sure it was age appropriate when I first read this one, as I must have been about 10 or 11 years old, but Death On The Nile by Agatha Christie is a story that I have returned to several times. I’m not convinced that I entirely grasped some of the subtext as a child, but I knew then that it was an amazing book. Re-reading it in adulthood made me appreciate the mastery in Christie’s craft, and this book, more than any other, made me want to be a writer.
Favourite genre/author
Being a lover of both literature and history, the two dovetail neatly in historical fiction, and this is probably the genre I read most. My absolute favourite author is the late C J Sansom. His Shardlake series is a masterpiece, and one of the few authors that I actively sought out each book as they were released. Sansom’s work is the main inspiration for my own historical fiction series. He has the power to transport you into the world of Henry VIII’s court and immerse you in the gritty realities of Tudor life. I would also mention my tastes are quite broad, I will still hoover up almost any book put in front of me, especially a good crime thriller but also more upmarket and literary fiction. I also tend to read a lot of non-fiction books, mostly history or something political.
Best film/TV adaptation of a book
Honestly, I don’t watch a lot of films or television, and therefore my range of choices is somewhat limited. One that stands out for me was Netflix’s adaptation of All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. This is a fabulous work of historical fiction set in St Malo during the Second World War and would have been a nightmare to adapt due to the dual time-lines of the book. The limited series took the essence of the book and made a piece of television that stands up on its own merits, a beautiful story that pays close attention to the novel but does not seek to replicate it.
How do you read? E.g. traditional books/kindle/online/newspapers and magazines, etc
I need a physical book. There is something about the feel of the paper, the smell of the book, that ebooks and other online reading cannot replace. I will admit to owning a Kindle, but I use it very rarely, and when I do need it I get frustrated with having to wait until it’s charged. I tend to read news online, but I try and limit screen time during the day, as usually I am trying to focus on getting some writing done.
A book that has made a big influence on you/changed your outlook on something?
It is really tempting to answer with my own debut fiction, A Trace Of Corruption, as being a writer one of the scariest but thrilling parts of the job is putting your own work out there for other people to read. Each publication slightly changes the way I feel about being an author, and with this being my fourth book I am starting to feel more established. If I have to choose someone else’s book, that is more difficult to single out as I like to think that I have absorbed everything I have read and distilled the best parts into my own writing. Whether that is true or not I cannot say. If pushed, as a history lover Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari was really profound in shaping my view of the prehistoric world and how that influences our lives today. I find human nature and psychology fascinating, and I hope that translates to the different facets of my characters.
Favourite ‘classic’ or what you consider a classic?
Many years ago, I set myself a New Year’s resolution of sorts, which was to read at least one classic book each year. By and large I have stuck to that. Heart Of Darkness by Joseph Conrad was my pick for 2025 and this year I have A Passage To India by EM Forster sitting on the pile. I have read and enjoyed a few of Forster’s books, including A Room With A View and Howard’s End. My favourite though would have to be Wings Of A Dove by Henry James, a darkly tragic tale of love, betrayal and mortality among the beauty and splendour of Venice. I would encourage everyone to read classic literature. There is a reason they have been passed down to us through the generations, they are timeless stories with characters that resonate today.
A book that you think everyone should read
Every year I like to have an overnight stay in Herm, and I think this magical island is at its best at the end of the day, when the sun is dipping below the horizon over St Peter Port and the day-trippers have left on the last boat. It is a little slice of heaven.
One year, I was incredibly unlucky with the weather on the second day, and it poured down. I decided to chance a walk during a lull but got caught out and by the time I trundled back to the White House Hotel I was soaked through. I settled down in one of the leather armchairs near the fire to dry off, and I picked up a book that I had brought with me, Life Of Pi by Yann Martel. I forgot all about being drenched, I had never been so engrossed. I could not stop turning the pages. Such a seemingly impossible premise, of co-existing in with a tiger in a rowing boat, was written with such depth and emotion I had to know how it ended.
Luckily, the rain did eventually clear, but I continued to read, only now whilst lazing on the sands of Belvoir Bay.
What are you reading now?
I have a huge pile of books to be read that keeps on growing, and I am slowly making my way through. I find it difficult to find the space to read when I am in the depths of writing, and at the moment I am working on the sequel to my debut novel A Trace Of Corruption.
I am currently reading Goodbye To The Old War by local author Theresa Le Flem. This is the third instalment of her family saga set during the Occupation and just after, with this book being set in 1947. I really enjoyed the first two books, and having only just started this one, I am looking forward to revisiting the character’s lives now that the Occupation has ended and they are trying to get back to a new semblance of normality.
It is a really intriguing premise and one that I feel has been overlooked in Occupation novels.
