Melissa Hill is the author of 13 novels, including Something from Tiffany’s, The Charm Bracelet and many more. A Gift to Remember was published by Simon & Schuster last year and her new novel, The Hotel at Mulberry Bay, is out now.

What was the first book to make an impression on you?

Any of Enid Blyton’s books; I read them all voraciously as a child and so wished I could go to boarding school so I could partake in all those brilliant-sounding midnight feasts.

What was your favourite book as a child?

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It’s a mystery novel of sorts and inspired my love of the mystery genre to this day.

And what is your favourite book or books now?

The Stand by Stephen King. I’ve read it umpteen times now, yet every time I re-read it I find another layer in the plot or character that I haven’t noticed before.

What is your favourite quotation?

“Logic will get you from A to B, but imagination will get you everywhere.” Albert Einsten. Words to live by for every reader and writer.

Who is your favourite fictional character?

Hannibal Lecter from Thomas Harris’s The Silence of the Lambs. I don’t think there has ever been a more vivid (or enjoyable) rendering of a true psychopath.

Who is the most under-rated Irish author?

The majority of female mega-selling authors are all severly under-rated and dismissed as unimportant, purely because they write women’s fiction. It’s nuts.

Which do you prefer – ebooks or the traditional print version?

Print out and out. I associate digital with work and print with pleasure, so it’s a no-brainer.

What is the most beautiful book you own?

A gorgeously produced Christian Louboutin coffee-table book, featuring glossy 3D pop-ups of many of his shoe designs. Almost as good as the real thing.

Where and how do you write?

I was lucky enough to be able to design my own writing space recently, and my desk sits on a glass-fronted mezzanine which floats over a room of wall-to-ceiling books, looking out a double-height window to views over the Wicklow mountains. Sounds inspiring but is in reality way more distracting than my old box-room study.

What book changed the way you think about fiction?

Jeffery Deaver’s A Maiden’s Grave. It was the first time I’d been so brilliantly tricked by a writer thanks to a truly amazing red herring, and it changed the way I thought about narrative and inspired me to play around with similar techniques in my own writing.

What is the most research you have done for a book?

I co-write forensic thrillers with my husband and we managed to snag an invite to a US crime lab during a stay in Florida last year which was very cool. We managed to gather enough research material to keep us in plots for a very long time.

What book influenced you the most?

Patricia Scanlan’s City Girl. The characters were so identifiable and the Irish locale so familiar that it made me realise it might well be possible for me to realise my own writing dreams. Since then I’ve kind of been Patricia’s stalker but she knows this and doesn’t seem to mind.

What book would you give to a friend’s child on their 18th birthday?

Depends on the child in question but To Kill a Mockingbird is always a winner.

What book do you wish you had read when you were young?

I read pretty much everything I could get my hands on at the time so have no regrets in that regard.

What advice would you give to an aspiring author?

Develop a thick skin and a sense of humour, because in this business both are essential.

What weight do you give reviews?

Like most authors, I place too much emphasis on the bad and not enough on the good. But I try to learn from both.

Where do you see the publishing industry going?

The industry will need to change with the times as all industries must, but lately in particular too much emphasis is being placed on the delivery method rather than the story itself. Ultimately stories are the industry.

What writing trends have struck you lately?

The advent of digital has given shorter works: stories, novellas and serials – often too short to be profitable – a new lease of life.

What lessons have you learned about life from reading?

That it’s possible to be completely content in your own company yet never alone.

What has being a writer taught you?

Discipline and focus mostly. As well as how to develop a thick skin.

Which writers, living or dead, would you invite to your dream dinner party?

William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Stephen King and EL James. Discussions on how publishing has changed through the years would no doubt be interesting…

What is your favourite word?

Embiggen. It’s a makey-up verb used in an episode of The Simpsons, but I think it’s perfect and use it all the time in my first drafts, hoping my editor will eventually give in and let me keep it.

If you were to write a historical novel, which event or figure would be your subject?

Marie Antoinnette – potentially the most compelling and interesting female “character” yet.