Eleanor Moran, novelist: 'Daphne Du Maurier's novels have the most vivid characters'

Eleanor Moran's latest psychological thriller is 'A Daughter's Secret'

Moran says: I'm far better off in the musty Rare Books reading room in the British Library. You're not even allowed a biro in there, so much less danger of distraction'

Where are you now and what can you see?

I'm at home in Islington, avoiding the Tube strike. I work in TV too, so I squash my writing time into my mornings and then race into the office in Soho. I can see the bumper of my car out the window, with a scrape on it from some terrible driving at the weekend.

What are you currently reading?

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. It's stuffed full of gorgeous period detail and heartbreaking characters.

Choose a favourite author and say why you admire her/him

I love Daphne Du Maurier. Her novels, particularly Rebecca, have the most wonderful, vivid characters and an incredible sense of place. I adore Maggie O'Farrell too. Her characters have such interesting shadows and vulnerabilities.

Describe the room where you usually write

Some days I write in my study, but I get too restless and tempted by The Good Wife! I'm far better off in the musty Rare Books reading room in the British Library. You're not even allowed a biro in there, so much less danger of distraction.

Which fictional character most resembles you?

I love the heroine of Melissa Bank's The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing, Jane. It features a small-town girl moving to New York for a publishing job and navigating life and love. So witty and well observed.

Who is your hero/heroine from outside literature?

There's an American professor Brene Brown who's TED talk on vulnerability got 11 million hits – her work is profound.

Eleanor Moran's latest psychological thriller is 'A Daughter's Secret' (Simon & Schuster)