What inspired you to tell this story?

I always read the dedications and acknowledgments in books before I begin the actual story. I find it fascinating to think of who and what was behind the story, how it came about and what inspired the author to put pen to paper. This then turned into a question about what if a dedication was actually something more? A clue that led to a treasure trail of sorts, and subsequently what that clue might be.

I wanted to tell a story within a story, hidden messages and memories that weren’t always obvious but when pieced together they made up an entire lifetime. Emily came to me fully formed, right down to her favorite magpie, Milton—I could picture her so clearly, sitting by the back door with her sketchbook open and a warm summer’s breeze lifting the pages as she drew.

What parts of Emily do you most identify with?

The fear of not being good enough. Emily is a talented artist, but everyone thinks she hides away from the world because of her injuries. In fact, it’s more to do with shyness and insecurity, of showing her work (and herself) to people and worrying that she would disappoint them.

I’ve always been quite shy, a bit of a bookworm, and awkward in social situations. At school, my friends were the ones unafraid to talk to anyone (especially boys), while I would hide in the corner or leave the party early and end up at home reading until the early hours of the morning.

You took a big leap yourself when you left the world of investment banking to become a mom and author. How did some of that experience drive Emily’s story? What factors were you considering when you made that big decision?

I left investment banking first and foremost to become a full-time mom. My husband also works in the industry, and we knew having two parents in such demanding jobs would have a negative impact on our kids. I never loved being a banker. It was a role I sort of fell into after university, so I was happy enough to take a step away.

It was only when my youngest started school that I realized I had the time and mental capacity to do something more. Returning to my old job was something I neither wanted nor could realistically do, and so I decided to turn my attention back to writing.

I wrote my first book when I was twelve, but my mother (who was a teacher) told me to pursue something more academic, which I think meant a job that could pay the bills! But I kept writing all through my teenage years, then at university, and even when pregnant with my eldest. I have my grandmother to thank for telling me to take a leap of faith and submitting my work to agents. She was a formidable woman who survived both the Second World War and being a single parent in a time when it was socially unacceptable, especially as a Catholic. She was brilliant and kind and taught me that girls can do anything. While Catriona is a purely fictional character, all of her drive and tenacity definitely come from Nan.