Who, or what, made you a writer?

Oh, so many factors, as you’d expect. Here are some: I’m the eldest of four children but the others are much younger, so I spent a lot of time in my own company. I had a typical 1970s primary school education (‘creative’) and whilst I struggled terribly with maths, I got a lot of praise for my creative writing, so, I was well disposed towards it, and – like many children – grew up thinking of myself as a potential writer. Furthermore, I come from a long line of self-employed workers and could never imagine myself working for anyone else!

But my impetus as a writer comes from an oral history angle (putting it simply, my interest is in people’s lives, not books). My mother, who talks endlessly, directed most of it at me when I was a child because I was the eldest. She was a great collector of people’s life stories.We did visit the local library sometimes but, beyond that, we had no books at home and I don’t remember ever being read to. Even now, although I love a good book, I’m still primarily a talker and listener (I’m trying hard to avoid the word ‘gossip’ here, as you can probably tell...).

Later, when I started writing, the world was a much kinder place for new young writers than it is today due to economic factors. There were no riches to be had, but it was possible, with luck and state benefits or part-time work, to have a life as a new author. I don’t think that’s the case now.