Hi, I’m Imogen Clark

I live in Yorkshire, England with my husband and children.

My first burning ambition was to be a solicitor and so I read Law at Manchester University and then worked for many years at a commercial law firm.

After leaving my legal career behind to care for my children, I turned to my second love – books. I returned to university, studying part-time whilst the children were at school and was awarded a BA in English Literature with First Class Honours.

I love sunshine and travel and long to live by the sea one day.

Each of my first three novels, POSTCARDS FROM A STRANGER, THE THING ABOUT CLARE and WHERE THE STORY STARTS reached the number 1 spot in the UK Kindle Charts and my books have also been number 1 in the Kindle Charts in Australia and Germany.

Want to know a little more? Here are a few questions that readers have asked me at a recent event.

Have you always written?

No. I wrote stories as a girl but when I trained to be a lawyer all creativity was sucked out of me. Then one night I dreamed that I had written a book and so decided to have a go. That was in 2010 and I haven’t stopped writing books since.

What books did you read when you were growing up?

Whatever I could get my hands on! My favourites when I was little were AA Milne and Enid Blyton. I also devoured the Swallows and Amazons series. As a teenager, I fluctuated between the classics and things that I thought would be cool to have in my bag!

Which genres do you read now?

In the main, I read the kind of books that I write but I also have a secret Crime habit and love a good psychological thriller. I also enjoy a bit of literary fiction if the subject matter interests me.

Who are your favourite authors?

I love Kate Atkinson and Maggie O’Farrell and read everything that they write. I also enjoy Liane Moriarty and Marian Keyes for their deep insight into what makes women tick and their dry senses of humour. William Boyd is another favourite as well as Val McDermid.

Where do you get your inspiration for your stories?

I usually start with a question – for Postcards this was what kind of woman would leave her children? From there I come up with my characters and then drop them in the middle of a crisis and see what they do.

Tell us about your writing process.

I’m not a great planner. I seem to have my best ideas as I’m going along. I generally know where I’m heading but I’m not entirely sure how I’m going to get there. Although I love the idea of scribbling in a notebook somewhere, I usually write at home on my computer but I do occasionally decamp to a café for a change of scene if things aren’t going well. I write for a few hours each day, breaking off to load the washing machine or ferry a child to a dance class and fuel myself with steaming cups of latte which I love.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

I spend a lot of time with my family but I also enjoy walking and yoga and I sing soprano in a local choir. And of course, I read endlessly.

Still got questions? Then please get in touch via whichever method suits you best.