CLARE MACKINTOSH

Where does the author of four bestselling novels find inspiration when she’s stuck for words?

- ClareMack

The best thing about being a novelist isn’t the royalty statements, the launch parties, or the publication champagne. It’s the research trips. Two years ago, I flew to Chicago to add the finishing touches to a book I’d set there: five days of eating pizza and exploring the city, all written off against tax. Short of becoming Chief Taster at a cheese and wine factory, that’s basically the perfect job, isn’t it?

I maintained my trips were essential for creativity. Not only did I need to fact-find, travel added something indefinable to my writing. I suspected my husband considered them frivolous. After all, what can’t one find on the internet?

I was excited about my next trip: business class from London to Sydney, as I put the finishing touches to a locked-room thriller set entirely on a plane. Hours of uninterrupted writing time. No phone, no email, no children. Champagne. (Strictly for research purposes, of course.)