Sheila O'Flanagan

Q&A with Sheila O'Flanagan

What makes you smile?

A night out with the girls (though that's a laugh not a smile), the first leaves on the trees in spring, the first hot day of summer, realising that I've got the exact change for the bus...

What keeps you awake at night?

Plotting my books and worrying about things that never seem that important in the morning.

Where is your favourite place in the world?

Depends on my mood; for relaxation the Caribbean, for lifestyle Spain and for family and friends Dublin.

What is your TV guilty pleasure?

Benidorm. My sister gave me a gift set and I can't stop laughing at it.

What song would be the soundtrack to your life?

In These Shoes by Kirsty MacColl.

Describe your dream dinner party line-up.

Barack and Michelle Obama, Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Spain, Aung San Su Ki, Billie Jean King, Michio Kaku (theoretical physicist), Neil Armstrong and Germaine Greer.

What's your signature dish?

Teriyaki salmon (or a cheat of something good from M&S).

What is your earliest memory?

Having my photograph taken aged three (I was wearing a pretty dress that flared out and thought I looked great).

What were your aspirations when you were a teenager?

To be a novelist, to take a trip on a space craft, to play tennis at Wimbledon (one out of three's not bad).

What's your favourite time of year?

The beginning of summer.

What has been your proudest moment?

Winning the Division 2 badminton league title with Raheny Badminton Club in a very tense final. And being a published writer.

What would be your specialist subject on Mastermind?

The James Bond novels of Ian Fleming.

If you were a superhero, what would be your super power, and how would you use it?

Invisibility--to eavesdrop on other people...

What are your three handbag essentials?

My asthma inhaler, my credit card and my lipsalve.

What's your most treasured possession?

My iPhone (I lost it briefly and I nearly had to go into rehab).

Do you have a celebrity crush?

Rafa Nadal.

What's your favourite thing about being a writer?

Not having to commute to work.

Who are your real-life heroes?

People I know who do great things in their community but nobody gets to hear about them.

Who is your favourite fictional hero? And your favourite heroine?

Jack Reacher--almost perfect though I'm not entirely convinced about his personal hygiene when he's living on the move. When I was a kid it was Jo Bettany from the Chalet School series. I so wanted to be her!

Which characters from your own novels would you most like to spend time with?

I've already spent so much time with them they'd run away screaming if I turned up in their lives.

What book could you read over and over again?

The Golf Omnibus by PG Wodehouse. He's my favourite comic writer.

What's the best beauty tip you've even been given?

No matter how late at night it is, cleanse, tone and moisturise.

What one thing do you do better than anyone else you know?

There's always someone better than me at something!

What's your motto for life?

That the birds of worry and care fly above your head, this you cannot change. But that they build nests in your hair, this you can prevent. (I don't always manage to live by it but I try.)