To celebrate the launch of my fourth novel, the gritty and glam Deadly Obsession, I decided to come up with my top 10 obsessions in life…
Travel
I adore travelling and now with the books being set in exotic and glamorous locations around the world I have the perfect opportunity to clock up as many air miles as possible. Deadly Obsession is a perfect example. Even though a lot of the action is UK-based I do have chapters set in Rio, on safari in South Africa, Italy, Paris and Barcelona. All places that I have been over the last few years so it meant that I could write from experience. My favourite place to visit was India. I adored it there. That was for Scandalous Lies.
Devious Maids
One of the best TV shows to have been on in years. Season 4 is being made at the moment and I can’t wait for it to air. It’s full of fun, fabulous, feisty females and is soaked in murder and intrigue. Just like my novels! I would love to have one of mine (or more) made into a TV show or mini-series. I live in hope.
Grace Jones
Just the most amazing singer, model and entertainer. I love everything about her. One wall of my writing office is covered in Grace’s album covers. I am reading her memoirs at the moment and they are an awe-inspiring read.
Shirley Conran’s Lace
The book is just one of the best blockbuster reads ever. I remember watching the mini-series when I was younger and just falling in love with the glamour and the deception of it all. It has everything you want in a story – family feuds, best friends, foreign travel and of course the immortal line, “which one of you b***hes is my mother?” – pure unadulterated class.
Facebook and Twitter
I am always on social media. I think I may have an addiction. I saw in the news that Facebook was 12 recently. I think I have been on it pretty much every day for those twelve years! Well, most of it anyway. And Twitter I love too. It’s very voyeuristic to see what people are doing with their lives. It’s the first thing I look at in the morning.
Theatre
A lot of my free evenings are spent at theatres. I love a good murder mystery or a wonderful singalong musical. If somebody could fuse the two and make a Miss Marple with a few song and dance numbers I would be so pleased.
Retro comedy
I grew up on Carry On…films and 70s comedy like Are You Being Served, Dick Emery and Man About The House. Really British and really daft. I love them. They had it all – sauciness, larger than life characters and some brilliant one-liners. If a Carry On… pops up on the TV, that’s me gripped for the next 90 minutes.
Craft
I work on a TV channel dealing with craft when I am not writing and I love it. Being surrounded by glitter and shiny things all day, what’s not to like? I adore what craft can give to people. You can be really down in the dumps and making a card or a scrapbook page seems to instantly put a smile on your face. It’s therapeutic and a wonderful thing.
Eurovision Song Contest
I have been obsessed with this since ABBA won it back in the 70s. My dream job would be to present it. I used to pretend I did in the mirror when I was a teenager. I’d never been until 2015 but now I intend to go every year if I possibly can. I am writing a comedy book based on Eurovision which I must finish at some point! I keep becoming distracted!
RuPaul’s Drag Race
OMG – this show is just TV gold! The most famous drag star on earth, RuPaul, puts other drag queens through their paces to become the next drag superstar. It’s incredible. I love the costumes, the bitchiness of it all and of course the language used – ‘glamazon’, ‘condragulations’, ‘can I get an amen’! Fabulous!
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