I Have Two Children. They Are More

My Upbringing Was Middle-class But My Parents' Families Were Both Working-class So I Had This Odd Combination Of Working-class Background But In A Privileged Position.

People Are Interested In Crime Fiction When They're Quite Distanced From Crime. People In Darfur Are Not Reading Murder Mysteries.

I Came From This Very Traditional Background And I Benefited Hugely From Feminism. I Felt Privileged Going To University And Doing A Phd. Most People Of My Background Don't Get To Do That.

In The 'garnethill' Trilogy, People Always Forget That Maureen O'donnell's Dad Was A Journalist And She Did Art History At Uni And Her Brother Did Law, But No-one Ever Thinks They're Middle-class - They're Just Working Class Because They Speak With Accents.

Usually When I'm Trying To Establish Character, I Try And Find Out Where They Live.