‘Don’t follow the money — do what makes you happy’

THE award-winning Irish author Sarah Crossan lives in Hertfordshire, Britain with her husband and daughter. Her latest book, Moonrise, which is for older teenagers, was shortlisted for the 2017 Costa children’s book award.

Some other well-known books by Crossan include Breathe, The Weight of Water, and Apple and Rain.

In 2016, Crossan won the award for the Irish Children’s Book of the Year as well as the CLIP Carnegie medal in Britain for her book One, which is a story about conjoined twins.

What’s the most important lesson about money which your career as a writer has taught you? To save — because my salary fluctuates so much from year to year.

What’s the most expensive country you ever visited? Denmark. I always know how expensive a country is by the price of a glass of wine — and a glass cost me €15 there.

What’s the best advice you ever got about money? Not to make money your goal — and to do what makes you happy. I got that advice from my parents.

What’s the most expensive thing about being a parent? The birthday parties were more expensive than I ever imagined — between party bags, catering for the parents who came along, and everything else.

Apart from property, what’s the most expensive thing you have ever bought? A signed edition of Virginia Woolf ’s Orlando .I paid a tremendous amount of money for that.

What was your worst job? I had to dress up as a hedgehog for a PR job. It was pretty humiliating.

What was your biggest financial mistake? When I was in my early 20s, I spent too much money on designer clothes.

What was your best financial killing? I got a major book deal in the United States in 2012 — for Breathe. That allowed me to buy my flat in the US.

Are you better off than your parents? Yeah. I have more financial security than my parents had.

If you won the Lotto, what would you do with the money? I’d do something quite sensible, like pay off my mortgage.

If you could design your own euro note, whose face would you put on it? My daughter’s.

Have you ever made an insurance claim? I made a claim on my car insurance about 15 years ago.

iTunes or Spotify? I subscribe to Spotify. While I’m as much of a music lover as the next person, music isn’t my passion.

What was the last thing you bought online? A pair of gloves for my daughter.

Would you buy Irish property now? I think the price of property has gone through the roof in Ireland. If I could afford to buy property in Ireland, I might buy. I’m not sure I’d trust a property investment at the moment though with Brexit and everything that’s going on with that.

Do you ever haggle? I’m too full of shame to haggle.

What three things would you not be able to do without if you were tightening your belt? New books, nice perfume, and my car — which is an Audi Q3.