MEET THE AUTHOR…
Harriet Tyce, 46, has had a smash hit with her first novel, BloodOrange – a steamy legal thriller. Harriet is married, has two children and lives in London.
Congrats on the success of Blood Orange!
Thank you! I’m extremely excited and a bit terrified. I can’t quite believe it. All I ever wanted was a book on a shelf – so everything else is a huge bonus.
Did you always want to be a writer?
When I was a teenager, I wrote poetry – quite badly. Then I studied English at university and wrote some more bad poetry. I went off and became a barrister, and didn’t start writing properly till my mid-30s.
Were you still working as a barrister by then?
No, it’s really not easy when you have kids, as you have to be ready to travel at the drop of a hat and you can’t do it part-time. I left in 2005 when my son was one, and then I started writing bits and pieces. I did an evening course, a short story and then I started thinking, ‘I like this. This is fun.’ Then I did a longer course, which got me hungry for more writing.
Did you consciously decide to write a thriller set in the legal world?
Well, I guess I thought it was a bit silly to have all this research at my fingertips and not use it. I always used to love the programme
This Life, particularly the character Anna. I used to wonder, what would Anna be like when she grew up?
Your heroine, Alison, is having an affair and is also a heavy drinker…
Yes, she’s flawed. She’s very real in my head, and I wanted her to be human. She likes a drink, but I don’t think she’s an alcoholic. But if she goes out, the likelihood is she won’t stop at one – it’s quite difficult, you have to be disciplined!
Are you worried that people will think Alison is a portrait of you?
Well, I suppose there is always a danger that people will think that. But I have a nice husband, two kids, two cats and a dog. I have a functional life! I’ve put a lot of research into the hangovers, though.
If it were made into a TV series, who would you like to see play Alison?
Kelly Macdonald came into my mind. And Daniela Nardini, who played Anna in
This Life, is the prototype.