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Val McDermid Sixty seconds with Val McDermid...


Val McDermid grew up on the east coast of Scotland. She became a journalist because everyone had told her that she couldn't make a living by writing novels. After having her first novel rejected, she turned it into a successful play, performed by the Plymouth Theatre Company. She became a publsihed author in 1984 and became a full-time novellist in 1991. Her series featuring psychologist Tony Hill and his friend, police officer Carol Hill has been turned into the successful TV series Wire in the Blood. Her latest book, The Vanishing Point, is published this week.
RTE: Describe yourself in a sentence?

McDermid: A wee fat woman with grey hair, a brain and a sense of humour.

RTE: What's the one record you'd take to a desert island?

McDermid: Bach's Christmas Oratorio -- there's a lot of it, it stands up to repeated listening, and there's some great tunes to sing along to and lift my spirits.

RTE: What did you want to be when you were growing up?

McDermid: A writer. Phew, that's a relief, then.

RTE: Who's your oldest friend?

McDermid: I'm still in touch with someone I met on my first day at primary school. We last saw each other just before Christmas.

RTE: If I ruled the world...

McDermid: I would eradicate all inequality. Obviously. And ensure glorious British summer weather in perpetuity.

RTE: Which book do you wish you'd written?

McDermid: Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson. It's got everything a great novel needs.

RTE: What makes you angry?

McDermid: Injustice.

RTE: Name your five dream dinner party guests.

McDermid: Christopher Marlowe, Jane Austen, Marlene Dietrich, Reginald Hill, my dad.

RTE: Who would you least like to be stuck in a lift with?

McDermid: David Cameron.

RTE: What inspired you to start writing?

McDermid: Reading.

RTE: Where would you most like to live?

McDermid: I already live there.

RTE: Sum up your latest book in no more than 12 words.

McDermid: Parent's worst nightmare unlocks twisted history of love, loss and betrayal.


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