To me, there is a definite common theme in the stories I write: I’m fascinated with the inner world each of us has. The faces we show each other sometimes conflict with who we really are or feel. Guilt, redemption and “sorry” run throughout my stories as most of my characters aren’t what you would hopefully expect them to be.

I love many things about writing, especially the beginning when an idea starts to form. I follow the path of the idea in my head and try to find the character to best suit. Sometimes a good twist comes to me and it’s about building the story to meet it. Furiously battering my little thought into my keyboard, trying to capture mood or environment with the right words – all things I love about writing.

I feel my inspiration comes from the darker side of our collective psyche, sometimes I worry about my own darkness. I want to surprise the reader and maybe challenge them to see a character from another perspective. I quite enjoy a twisty ending that turns everything before it on its head and I hope that people can relate to the stories and people I write about.

Most of my writing happens in my head, as I walk through the city unseeing. The world passes before me but in my mind, I’m a million miles away mapping out a story and colouring in the broad strokes of a character. Before I sit down at my computer, I usually have a strong idea of what I want to write and how I want it to sound. The physical act of writing can happen any time of day, I just have to be really excited by the story.

My bookshelves are an indiscriminate mess of books and writers that I love and re-read whenever the fancy strikes me. I prefer a good story to an individual writer but amongst my favourites, Steinbeck stands out like a beacon. I only discovered American modern literature in the last few years and I love his characters and the dramas they have to face – every time I read one of his books, I don’t want it to end as the characters have come to life in my head. I also enjoy Margaret Atwood, as she’s a fabulous storyteller with a flare for the slightly sci-fi, something missing in women’s literature.

If I could go back, I would tell that younger self to just keep on writing no matter what. Life will always get in the way but to me, writing is cathartic and is a way to not only speak to the reader, but to yourself as well. It’s a way to work out whatever current issues you’re having without having to see a shrink plus the pride and accomplishment you get to have when you’ve finished one to the best of your ability.

Because it must be the same for all writers: Writing is a way to express your own inner lives and communicate with the world around you. We can put things to paper that perhaps would be more difficult to speak aloud.