My writing journey began during the pandemic in 2020. I wrote a couple of short stories, which then became chapters one and two of Just Breathe when I decided to put the two stories together.
They say that when you write a novel, you should write what you know. I don’t know whether this is particularly good advice and I would like to think that authors who write about serial killers are not writing from experience. However, I did heed that advice, to a certain extent, as my main character in Just Breathe is a lawyer. However, unlike my protagonist, Charlotte, I would never consider going back to the legal profession. In my twenties, I started my career doing criminal law and used to love the buzz of the court room and visiting clients in prison, but it was when I reached my mid-thirties that I began to really dislike the job. By then I was working for a big law firm defending fraudulent road accidents, so our clients were insurance companies. Targets were increased and wages were kept low and I didn’t enjoy my job one little bit. However, I had a large mortgage and small children, so I didn’t have the luxury of walking out.
The office was like Charlotte’s London office in the book, large open plan with dozens of people who worked silently, head down, all day. In my team, on the odd occasion when we stopped for breath, we used to have conversations about what we would do if we had a change of career and could do our ideal, stress-free job. My friend Eleanor, who is still a lawyer, told me that she sees me as ‘the one that got away’. This is a title that I am proud to own! So in that respect I am like Charlotte. But in every other respect, I am not like her at all.
I now write full time from the box room in a small cottage in Lancashire. I feel very fortunate to live on country lane, as I can only write in peace and quiet. You will never find me with my laptop in a coffee shop!
