Erin Kelly grew up in Hornchurch and went to school in Upminster. She is the author of the psychological thrillers The Poison Tree, The Sick Rose and The Burning Air. She has also written a novelisation of the first series of ITV hit television show, Broadchurch.
What made you want to be a writer?
I’ve wanted to be a writer since I could read and one of my earliest memories of school is being told off for making up stories instead of writing reports. It’s clearly been in me since birth!
How does your Essex background affect the stories you write?
I set my second book, The Sick Rose, in estuary Essex, as it’s a fascinating landscape that’s always changing. People cross the river at Dartford, but few ever leave the M25. I wanted to write about a part of the country that often gets overlooked. And I spend a lot of time persuading people that there’s more to us than TOWIE!
What would be your three ‘desert island books’?
I know it’s cheating, but the complete works of Daphne Du Maurier. I love the way she combines romance and suspense. Then I’d take The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst. I re-read it often and always find something new to love. His prose is perfect. Finally, I’d choose The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. I’ve been waiting for just the right time to read it and a desert island would give me the peace I need.
