One Minute With: Jenn Ashworth, novelist

Where are you now and what can you see?

In the pavilion café in Avenham Park, in Preston. I can see the River Ribble. I like walking in the park and coming in here to have a coffee.

What are you currently reading?

'First Novel' by Nicholas Royle. I got it a few days ago and read it in one gulp. I admired it so much that I wanted to go back and see how it was all put together. The book absolutely enchanted me.

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

Flannery O'Connor. There's a lot about her work that I don't understand - a lot of ugliness, and she writes about grace. It works extremely powerfully on me.

Describe the room where you usually write

In my bedroom: in bed with my laptop on my knee. Apart from the clutter around my bed it's quite minimalist - there's just a photograph of a tree taken by my husband.

Which fictional character most resembles you?

Velma in Scooby-Doo. She has bad dress sense and a curious mind.

Who is your hero/heroine from outside literature?

Frida Kahlo. I admire her for the pain she had and the way that she worked through it.

Jenn Ashworth's new novel is 'The Friday Gospels' (Sceptre)