They say 'write what you know', and when I came to write my debut novel, All the Little Children, I wrote a location I know exceptionally well - the British West Midlands. The city of Birmingham was my home for several years, while I worked for the BBC. As a reporter, I pounded its streets and backwaters. It was there I met my husband, who comes from neighbouring Shropshire. The majority of the action in All the Little Children moves between these two contrasting landscapes - the remote forest and the urban jungle of England's second city.
When I was back in Birmingham recently, I popped in to the BBC to record this interview with my former colleague, Drivetime presenter extraordinaire, Paul Franks. Oddly enough - considering I worked in radio for such a long time - I felt nervous before the interview. But as soon as I stepped into the studio and heard Franksey's dulcet tones, I was back in the saddle!
The interview starts around 19 minutes into this playback - but why not settle down and enjoy Franksey's A-Z selection of holiday tracks?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05c3k5c