Take 5 with Icy Sedgwick

Would you rather have critical acclaim, or commercial success?

I’d be lying if I didn’t say commercial success. I don’t think it’s wrong to want to make money from what you do – artists do! Besides, the more people who buy your books, the more people enjoy your stories, and surely that’s a good enough reason to write? If I can get someone to forget the mundane side of their existence for a few minutes, then I consider that a job well done.

What was the last book you read and why did you choose it?

It was FANGLAND by John Marks. I picked it up for £2 in a sale, and I thought the blurb sounded interesting. New spins on the Dracula legend always intrigue me, and this one certainly took the old tale and did something entirely new with it.

What has been your favourite story to write to date? Why?

It would probably be THE MIDAS BOX. It’s probably not my best work, but it was the first time an idea had popped into my head fully formed, without me having to struggle through a beginning, a middle and an end. Plus, it was the first story I ever had accepted.

If you could meet any published writer (dead or alive) who would it be and why?

Oscar Wilde.

The man was a genius, and I’d love to get his take on the modern publishing market. I wonder what he’d make of the Kindle.

What other creative pleasures, other than writing, do you pursue?

I sometimes draw, but I mostly knit.

It’s amazing how many story problems resolve themselves while I’m curled up with my knitting. There are a lot of parallels between the two pastimes – making something out of seemingly nothing is just one of them.