One Minute With: Kim Edwards, novelist

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What are you currently reading?

I've just started Kate Atkinson's 'Case Histories'. I read 'Behind the Scenes at the Museum' a couple of years ago and was swept away by the scope of the story, the vividness of the characters, and the terrific writing. I'm also re-reading Virginia Woolf's 'The Voyage Out'.

Choose a favourite author, and say why you like her/him

William Trevor is an author I admire; his stories are subtle and powerful, and beautifully written. When I teach, I use passages... to illuminate for students how the very structure of the sentences reflects... dramatic and thematic concerns.

Describe the room where you usually write

When we moved into this house nine years ago, my husband built two offices overlooking the garden. He used to be a carpenter before he became a professor, and the rooms are spare, but elegant and cosy, with white walls and big windows. I have lots of bookshelves, and large desk.

What are your readers like when you meet them?

Thoughtful and smart. They like good stories, but also appreciate the nuances of language.

What distracts you from writing?

Reading does, and reading on the internet is the worst... I can find myself immersed in matters far away from the story I'm writing.

Which fictional character most resembles you?

Jo March, from Louisa May Alcott's 'Little Women'. I loved this book as a child, probably because Jo was one of four children, as I am, and she wanted to be a writer. I loved her strong spirit and her willingness to question convention.

Who is your hero/heroine from outside literature?

From the world, Marie Curie, for her passionate pursuit of science at a time when women weren't welcomed in the academy. In my life, my husband.

Kim Edwards's 'The Lake of Dreams' is published by Viking