A Small Stuff Influence-ee...

The author, Val McDermid, was once interviewed by Graham Norton on his Saturday morning radio show. He asked whether, as a full-time writer, she could still read at the same time. The implication being that when working on her own writing, it might be hard to keep her own style distinct from the authors that she read at the same time. Her answer was clear.

'Some writers say, 'Oh I can’t read when I’m writing, I’m worried about it infecting my style'. But I’ve never felt that insecure about my...