Diane Setterfield's debut novel, The Thirteenth Tale, was published in 38 countries worldwide and has sold more than three million copies.
It was number one in the New York Times hardback fiction list, became a BBC2 production starring Vanessa Redgrave and Olivia Coleman, and is enjoyed as much for being ‘a love letter to reading’ as for its mystery and style.
Her new book, Once Upon A River, is published this month, and she is visiting WaterstonesMK in intu Milton Keynes this week, to talk about it.
Diane talked to Total MK about her love affair with books, and the ones that have left a lasting impression on her...
The first book that really took your attention
Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White.
My sister brought it home from the school library and I could tell by her face she was completely engrossed in it.
I thought I could steal it away from her at tea time, but she was onto me and sat on it all through the meal.
When I finally got to read it I was as enthralled as she’d been.
The moment you knew you wanted to be an author
I always wanted to do it, but for a long time I thought authors had to be extraordinary people and I knew I was ordinary.
The self belief was slow to come.
A book by someone else you wish you had written
We Have Always Lived in the Castle, by Shirley Jackson.
How do you take your books - in paper form or digitally
I love print books! I have a kindle but it annoys me. I only use it for long trips.
How quickly did you find success
It was shockingly rapid. I sent The Thirteenth Tale to an agent and days later an international auction was underway.
The adrenaline gave me a headache and made me nauseous, but luckily I was in the middle of Rohinton Mistry’s A Fine Balance, which took my mind off it.
Explain the power of a good book
A good book is a friend when you’re lonely, a solace in troubled times, a holiday from yourself when life gets too much.
Plus, when everything’s OK, reading keeps your brain happy.
Tell us your favourite word... and why
Enigma. When I was a child, it’s what I wanted to be when I grew up. I never succeeded and I suspect it’s too late now.
> Diane will visit Waterstones Bookstore at intu, Milton Keynes on Friday (January 25) as part of her Once Upon A River book tour.
Tickets for the event, which begins at 6pm, are on sale at £3 - which can be redeemed from the cost of the book on the night.
To book yours, head instore or click here
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