One Minute With: Emily Woof

Where are you now and what can you see?

I'm on a street, looking into an underground carpark and there are two CCTV cameras staring at me.

What are you currently reading?

At the moment, it's Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 by Tony Judt. There's quite a lot to chew through. It's related to work and I'm kind of interested in the Cold War.

Choose a favourite author, and say why you like her/him

Richard Ford is one of my favourite writers, and I really love Chekhov; he is so kind to all his characters.

Describe the room where you usually write

It's a small room at the back of the house [in North London]. It looks over gardens and there's a huge eucalyptus tree in the neighbouring garden that is almost flattened against the pane. It's a rampant tree.

What distracts you from writing?

My two children. My youngest is still very little and when I hear his voice, I feel very distracted as I'm trying to write. I'm also distracted by our kitten because she's tiny and new. Sometimes this fear that I won't have enough time to write stops me from getting started.

Which fictional character most resembles you?

The cute answer is that I would apsire to be Mrs Dalloway but I probably end up being more like Mrs Pepperpot.

What are your readers like when you meet them?

I've been struck by how much people relate to certain things in the novel and share their stories with me.

Who is your hero/heroine from outside literature?

Some of the mums that I know that manage life brilliantly, working and looking after the kids and running a home and staying sane.

Emily Woof's novel 'The Whole Wide Beauty' is published by Faber & Faber