I am more one for the story, I think, than the action.

Archive material is vital to the writer of historical fiction.

Wellsted will remember this moment for the rest of his life. It is the first time he desires something for himself that is not dedicated to his own advancement. It is the moment he falls in love.

I jealously guard my research time and I love fully immersing myself in those dusty old books and papers. It's one of the most enjoyable parts of my job.

I'm drawn to the 1950s for lots of reasons - everything from the fashion to the increasing sense of freedom and modernity that builds throughout the decade.

Social and cultural history is often comprised of whatever diaries and letters remain and that is down to chance and wide open to interpretation.