1. Why do you write novels?

Growing up, I was the eldest in a big, bustling family – but in a crowd, I often found it difficult to make friends. Other kids made me anxious. They always seemed to pick on me for being different. They made fun of my ‘fish lips’, they thought I talked too posh, and they laughed because I was part of such a large family. I guess I was a tad over-sensitive! But if kids made fun of me, how would my daughter Katie manage?

Katie has cerebral palsy, a condition which affects the muscles, making them either too floppy or too stiff. It often impacts the muscles that form speech. Many people with cerebral palsy need a wheelchair to get around, but only about half of them have learning difficulties.

When she started school, Katie had only just learnt to walk and had a limited vocabulary which was difficult to understand, even for those of us who knew her well. Luckily, her primary school was very nurturing, and I was relieved at how well the other kids accepted her, but I worried this might not last into secondary school.

I started writing Speechless in 2003 when Katie was 5. Back then, 10 years before Wonder by R.J. Palacio was published, there were so few books for kids with disabled characters and I thought that should be rectified.

Over the years spent writing and editing Speechless, alongside raising my family, I became completely addicted to the process. Writing novels is challenging and immersive. Perhaps it’s a way to escape from real life, but it’s also a way to make sense of it. Now that I have more time on my hands, writing novels is my favourite pastime.

2. Who inspired you?

My father was a great storyteller and a rugged old Scotsman – at least that’s how I thought of him. He always said he grew up in the ‘picture houses’ of 1930s and 40s Glasgow, feasting on a diet of Fred Astaire and King Kong, the Westerns and Gone with the Wind. I don’t think I ever saw him reading, but he was fascinated by stories and tall tales. Even before I started school, he encouraged me to tell stories about anything and everything.

He died when I was 17 and I recently found a letter I wrote to him after his death. In it, I asked who I would share the news of my first publishing deal with now that he was gone. When I read that letter, it hit me how long I’d wanted to be an author and what an integral part of my writing dreams he was.

3. What’s the essence of your style? The part, if removed, is not your voice anymore?

This is a tough question! My favourite part about both reading and writing, is getting inside the heads of characters. It’s about humanity and why people do what they do. I hope that’s what stands out for my readers. My aunt is one of my toughest early editors. On a harsh day, she tells me my writing is whacky and imperfect, but when she’s feeling generous, it’s alive and full of insight.

4. What was your dance-around-the-kitchen moment in writing?

When I finished my first proper draft of Speechless, my eldest daughter, Charlie, was about 14. She asked if she could read it. I printed the whole thing off and she sat in a window seat in the kitchen and read it in one sitting. I’m sure I drove her mad. Every time she giggled, I interrupted and demanded to know which bit she was reading.

Then, as she got close to the end, my other children must have thought I’d completely lost the plot. As they came in to get their supper, Charlie was still in the kitchen window. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her face was wet with tears. She couldn’t speak. What was mummy doing? Literally dancing around the kitchen and shrieking with excitement.

That was the moment I realised the magic connection between author and reader – and I knew I wanted to write stories for the rest of my life.

5. What do you want to accomplish in your writing career?

I want to have a positive impact on my readers and help make the world a little bit kinder (as a reviewer once said).

6. Can you ever envisage not writing novels - running out of ideas or energy?

No! I’ve got so many ideas and whether I’m writing new words or editing, I love being in ‘the zone’.

7. What advice would you give to your younger self?

Sometimes I think I’d tell myself to stop dreaming about becoming a writer and get on with it. But it’s life’s lessons that give you something to say, so the better advice would be to be patient. When life’s too busy for writing, it’s time to do some living!

8. Away from writing, what are your passions, and what do they mean to you?

Aside from writing, my favourite things are the simplest: wild swimming, country walks with our crazy Lhasa Poo dogs, playing rowdy/competitive board games, and cooking for my family and friends.

9. How would your best friend describe you?

This is another very tricky question, and I needed lots of advice on how to answer it. One friend said that I am people-orientated and that I’ve got a great deal of time for those who are struggling, particularly with communication difficulties or emotional distress. Another friend commented that I’m devoted to friends and family (which is true) and that I’m ‘a lady of great presence and dignity’, which made me fall about laughing!