Novelists tell us what they wished they’d known right at the start of their careers.
‘If you’re anything like me, you probably got into books and especially into writing because by nature you are inward-thinking, and not exactly an extrovert when it comes to being the life and soul at parties. I was the shy kid who preferred to stay slightly in the background, listening and weighing up situations before getting involved. When my mates were out playing football or making nuisances of themselves around town, I would be reading a good book. Therefore, something I wish I’d known before I was published was that I was going to have to put aside my reluctance to being seen and heard in public.