I have always loved reading. When I was growing up, I would be the first one awake– early – getting stuck into a book. All those stories! All those different characters going through all kinds of experiences, living all kinds of lives!
I studied French and German at university, not English, thinking that was sensible, I was more likely to find a job that way. No one mentioned that a degree in English could offer possibilities for making a living too, and it certainly never occurred to me, that I could be a writer, that I could write a book!
Instead, I chose a language course with a heavy literature base so I could keep reading! But it wasn’t until I came across Margaret Drabble’s ‘A Summer Birdcage’ that I realized how wonderful and exciting it felt to read contemporary work in my own language.
I was supposed to be revising but instead immersed myself in the novel for the rest of the day. I remember thinking – I’d like to write something like this. It still took me a long time to feel that was possible
sarah jackman 