Katharine Grant

Born in wild Lancashire, the third of seven children, reading and writing were both a joy and an escape. Marriage brought me to Glasgow, a city I now love. When my third child was 1, I went to the University of Glasgow, read History and Philosophy and suddenly believed in myself. Since then I’ve been writing newspaper columns, contributing to radio and television, writing novels, and am a Royal Literary Fund Consultant Fellow. Sedition (Virago, UK, Henry Holt US), 'as dark and deceitful as it is bawdy, the beautiful bastard child of Les Liaisons Dangereuses and Fingersmith' (Observer), and longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize 2014, is my latest novel. Face-cream and a piano would be my desert island luxuries.

Credentials

Katharine Grant in 60 seconds

When did you start writing?

1998 Glasgow, Scotland.

What do you love about short stories?

At their best, they strike very deep.

Do you write in other forms?

Novels, journalism.

What distracts you from writing?

The piano (in a good way), the foibles of a very old house (not such a good way).

Outside of writing, what are your other passions?

Music, walking.

What is your favourite book?

A Place of Greater Safety.

Who are your favourite writers?

Hilary Mantel, Martin Amis and Violet Needham.

Where is your dream location?

Anywhere warm.

What one item would you put into Room 101?

Stationary people blocking escalators.

Do you have any advice for new writers?

The delete button is a good friend.