One Minute With: Dorothy Koomson

Where are you now and what can you see?

I'm in my living room, and from there I can see the sea.

What are you currently reading?

I'm about to start Running Wild and The Voices of Time by JG Ballard.

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

JG Ballard. He had an incredible imagination – very few people can put the depth and passion into characterisation and plot that he did. He was also master of the twist-in-the-tale ending.

Describe the room where you usually write

I write on my laptop or notebook on the sofa in the living room or in bed. Both rooms have white walls, beige carpet, bright and red rugs.

What distracts you from writing?

Another idea for another book and deciding I've just got to start writing it there and then.

Which fictional character most resembles you?

A while back I would have said Miss Marple, now I'd probably say Little Bo Peep – substituting "time" for sheep.

What are your readers like when you meet them?

They're always very nice and friendly, and chatty. Sometimes it feels like I know them or they know me. Even the people who don't generally like my type of books are friendly.

Who is your hero/heroine from outside literature?

If you'd asked me years ago I would have said Oprah [Winfrey] because seeing her show one day when I was off sick inspired me to leave my job and work freelance. In that time I started the book that would become The Cupid Effect and started my career as a published author. I haven't seen Oprah's show in three years – since I left Australia. So, now, I genuinely don't know.

Dorothy Koomson's 'The Ice Cream Girls' is published by Sphere