• What is your book about? 

Told from the perspective of 13-year old Leon as he navigates school, friendships and family woes and an autism diagnosis to boot! 

• Leon and his friends are all neurodivergent. I really appreciated seeing these characters. I saw myself and one of my friends in Tanya and a few other people in a few of the other characters. I think they were all captured really well. Why was it important for Leon and his friends to be neurodivergent? 

This is a great question. For me, it was more about how the subject of neurodivergence was conveyed that mattered most. I live in a neurodivergent family and am a parent to a child who is autistic, and in our family, humour plays an important role in getting through the day to day. Humour, I feel is falling more and more out of favour in our world, yet it is a vital tool in helping us understand and tackle tricky topics, by seeing things from a different perspective. So, writing a dark comedy featuring a cast of ND characters, was certainly risky and hasn’t been to everyone’s taste, but it was certainly a risk worth taking because it opens the doors to new conversations and reaches different audiences as well. 

• What is the weirdest or most interesting thing you had to research for your book? 

Oh God, trying that infamous salmiakki licorice pastille….word of advice… DO NOT TRY THEM! THEY ARE THE STUFF OF THE DEVIL!! 

• In The Asparagus Bunch, Leon loves trying candy and sweets, what are your top three sweets

Impossible question to answer!! Literally THE question I dread getting asked the most, but, if pushed, Flumps marshmallow braids, Haribo turtles and Twirls. Yes….TWIRLS. And whilst we are on confectionery confessions, I keep my Twirls in the FREEZER and dip them in my tea….Leon would definitely NOT approve….

• If you were stranded on a desert island what 2 books, 2 movies and 2 animals would you bring? 

Books: Pure by Andrew Miller and The Billionaire’s Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace. Movies: The Butcher Boy and Midnight in Paris. Animals: Another shock confession: I am not an animal lover. I would therefore most likely bring two cows that I could eventually kill and eat…apologies for any offense caused! 

If you want to read more about The Asparagus Buch, click here