What inspired you to write your first novel?

Getting lost! I love to go walking, and one Sunday I ended up taking a wrong turn, and arriving in a pretty village called Polstead. I remembered seeing a play, when I was at school, about the murder of Maria Marten, and how her body was buried in the Red Barn. Revisiting the story that day, it struck me as suspicious that her body had laid undetected for a year – I was a probation officer and used to dissecting details about crimes. This inspired me to visit the Bury St Edmunds records office, to read the trial notes, and the more I read the more my suspicions grew. 

Four years later I published a book, historical fiction, about what I think happened. 

Did you always enjoy writing? 

I enjoyed reading. At school (Chantry High, in Ipswich) the library was a place of refuge, and books were a magical escape  – they still are. 

Writing evolved from that love, and it was my English teacher who first noticed my writing. My work placement when I was 15 was at the East Anglian Daily Times, and I went on to study English Literature at university…but it was still many years before I had the confidence to try and write a novel. 

Any other interests? 

I love travel. I’ve lived in other countries, and I’m addicted to planing trips – I especially like military museums, or places with lots of history. 

I also like walking – my Instagram is full of photos of things I see when I’m rambling around the place, and I enjoy being surprised by new places. You never know what you may find – even the inspiration for a new book!

Favourite thing about writing. 

There is nothing like the feeling of being lost in a creative landscape, where the characters are breathing and the plot has a mind of its own. When I’m at that stage, the house could burn down and I wouldn’t notice. 

Least favourite thing about writing. 

Oh, the rejection. It’s very hard to get an agent, hard to get a publishing deal, hard to sell books. 

It can feel relentless, if you let it, but I’ve been writing a long time now (20 years) so I tend to treat success and failure like the imposters they both are and maintain an even keel. 

When the good things – the successes – do arrive it’s important to take a moment to celebrate. I’ve recently been appointed as a Royal Literary Fellow, so that was one of those moments. 

Why do you write? 

There’s definitely a compulsion to get things down on paper, to start interrogating ideas through characters. I think it’s how I make sense of the world – I write about situations that are troubling, unusual, disturbing – and luckily my readers find the same satisfaction in exploring these topics. 

A bit about the Felixstowe Book Festival. 

We’re delighted that the Book Festival goes from strength to strength!

We have a programme of events for the final weekend in June, and I shall be interviewing some amazing novelists. There’s a whole programme of events, and anyone interested should check out the festival’s website. 

Does Felixstowe inspire your writing – if so, what part does? 

Oh, yes! I love this town – Suffolk is the setting for most of my novels, and the landscape is just perfect for a crime writer. It’s dramatic, with the huge sweep of sky, and the bold North Sea – this is my home, it’s where the words flow best. 

Favourite book written by another author?

The Secret History by Donna Tartt. 

Favourite novel you have written? 

The Sacrificial Man – it’s the novel I’m most proud of, I think the storyline is brave. The use of Keatisan poetry makes it topical, given it’s recently been 200 years since his death.

Thank you.