I started this, my second novel, before I even had an agent, never mind a contract, for my first novel, Sally. It was half-written when I finally landed my first deal. The money coming in meant I could continue the book by embarking on my first research trip. I flew to Northern Ireland in early February 1996 – ironically, on the day of the IRA bus bombing in Aldwych. I stayed in County Antrim and tootled about by myself, truly feeling I was following in my character’s footsteps. Soon after that, I continued my research with a trip down to north Cornwall. I remember it was snowing – and snow replaced sand on the beach, right up to the water’s edge. Chloe was the first of my novels to make it into the Sunday Times Top 10. My editor had the chart framed – and it has pride of place on my study wall to this day. Jasper and Peregrine in this book were actually based on two aged geldings I knew!

Read a brief synopsis of Chloe

See what happened next to Chloe

Tags | Chloe, Sally, Titles