About the author… Toni Jordan

She lives in Melbourne and has had jobs as diverse as molecular biologist and aluminium sliding door salesperson. This is her fifth novel.

This novel was inspired by... My resolution to write books that make people smile. I’m addicted to reading novels and love serious books, but there are so, so many of them, and so few books that are genuinely uplifting! After the last few years, I’ve been looking hard for stories that bring a little joy to my life – so I decided to write one. I wanted it to be a story that reflected the way you can love your family and find them incredibly annoying at the same time.

The most fun/challenging thing about writing it was... Never knowing what was going to happen next. I’m not the kind of writer who plans her work in advance. I certainly never know what will happen in the end. As I sat down every morning to follow Simon through his week, I was always surprised at what would befall him. I loved putting him in difficult situations to see what he’d do. My writing habits are… Disciplined! I write four days a week and keep one day free for admin and other bits and pieces. I have a huge whiteboard on the wall in my office, filled with dates and target word counts. If I don’t break down every project into manageable steps, there’d be no way I could finish an entire novel before my deadline. I’m not fooled into thinking that this kind of planning and focus has anything to do with creativity. The point is to keep my conscious mind busy so my unconscious, creative brain can write the book.