Armadillos — author

After the success of King of the Gypsies, I decided to do myself a favour and spend a year at Glasgow university on their Masters creative writing programme. I didn't choose the right course for playwriting so dipped into other genres, poetry and novel writing being far better supported.

I loved this course, especially my tutor, Elizabeth Reeder, whose enthusiasm and sharp mind energised every class. I had begun Armadillos before arriving there but had no self-belief that I could finish it. Winning the Sceptre Prize for Fiction changed that. I used the prize money to travel around Texas where the story was set. I felt pretty brave doing that, I can tell you. I left my kids behind and struck out. Sometimes that's just what's needed and not everyone gets the chance. I was really privileged to do this trip and I was just as happy to come home when the time came. Note: to the untrained ear, cicadas sound alarmingly like rattle snakes when you're all alone in the desert.

The subject matter for Armadillos is pretty dark and the book was born around the time Jimmy Savile's true nature was becoming known. The press was full of the worst types of crimes — the country was shocked — and I think researching and writing Armadillos was a way of processing the horrible climate at the time.