For me, writing stories set, well, wherever they're best set, is a form of cultural curiosity that is uniquely Scottish - we're famous for travelling in search of adventure.

Something I notice speaking to writers from south of Hadrians Wall is that the culture is different. At base, I think Scotland values its creative industries differently from England.

Writing about the 1950s has given me tremendous respect for my mother's generation.

I'm not sure how much easier it is for a mother to balance her life now - have we simply swapped one set of restrictions for another?

I've always had a keen sense of history. My father was an antiques dealer and he used to bring home boxes full of treasures, and each item always had a tale attached.

Research material can turn up anywhere - in a dusty old letter in an archive, a journal or some old photographs you find in a charity shop.

Sometimes I create a character from a scrap - a mere mention that has been left behind.