​Q. Are you a taxidermist?

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A. No, I'm not a taxidermist. I could never be a taxidermist because I'm very, very squeamish. 

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Q. Would you taxidermy your pet?

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A. No, probably not. Though I can appreciate the art and beauty of taxidermy, I don't think I'd be comfortable keeping a pet this way. Having said that, I do have the ashes of one my beloved dogs in an urn near my desk.

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Q. If you love animals why did you write about taxidermy?

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A. The main character, Lottie, is an animal lover. She believes in ethical taxidermy - which means she would never hunt, hurt or kill anything. Her focus is to give new life to creatures that have already passed away. 

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Q. How did you come up with the idea?

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A. The idea came to me after I had a conversation with a young student I was teaching. She was a beginner taxidermist and it struck me as a very unusual thing to be interested in. The way she described it sounded so dark and macabre and I became curious and wanted to explore the topic further.

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Q. Why do you write verse novels?

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A. I love reading verse novels and have wanted to write one ever since reading Steven Herrick's, 'The Simple Gift', and Dorothy Porter's 'Monkey's Mask'. Both are brilliant books. I felt it would be something that would suit my way of working, too, because I write poetry and fiction, and this way I could use both skills in one project.

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Q. Why did you choose to write The Art of Taxidermy in verse rather than just writing a regular novel?

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A. I first started exploring Lottie in a short story and when a friend read it and said she wanted to know more, I decided to try and turn it into a verse novel. The verse was somehow more impactful than regular prose and so I continued.Having read Dorothy Porter’s verse novels, I’d already noticed how well the form works with dark and difficult themes. In The Art of Taxidermy, I write about death, dying, grief and grieving — all topics that can be hard to discuss or write about directly. Verse felt like a good match. It allowed me to explore Lottie’s emotions with honesty and restraint, letting images and moments speak for themselves without the need for too much explanation.

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Q. Did you like Aunt Hilda?

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A. I do feel sorry for Aunt Hilda who genuinely wants the best for Lottie, even though her way of helping isn’t always helpful. She’s trying to guide Lottie in the only way she knows how, and while it might come across as rigid or misguided or even cruel at times, her intentions are good. Back in those days, in the 1960s, expectations of girls were very different from today.