Quick-fire Q&A with Penny Vincenzi

My dream holiday destination…

The Galapagos Islands. Not only to see the amazing animals and birds, but to actually be where Darwin was when he formed his most important theories.

My guilty pleasure…

Reading in bed IN THE MORNING! When I should be up doing and writing my own.

The item I have more of than anything else…

Shirts. I am addicted to them. Cotton, silk, satin, denim; checked, striped, flowered, plain, and every colour of the rainbow (including half a dozen white…)

The book that I wish I had written…

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. It haunts you, with its dark, troubled atmosphere, its beautiful, dead heroine, the physical beauty of the house and the Cornish coast and one of the most charismatic heroes ever to take his place on a page.

The one piece of advice I would give my teenage self…

Don’t worry about the things you can’t do. Concentrate on the ones you can.

If I had to choose between appearing on Strictly Come Dancing or X Factor…

Strictly. I love it. It’s so upbeat and fun and I love all the judges and anyway, I adore any form of dancing.

The comedian who makes me laugh the most…

Two of them. Morecambe and Wise. Still. Even when I’ve seen a sketch five times before.

My favourite city in the world…

London. Because it’s so beautiful, in so many different ways and although it’s huge it breaks down into dozens of small villagey bits.

If I want to relax…

I get into my car , put something Cole Porter-y onto the stereo and just drive..

My favourite cookbook…

Delia Smith’s Complete Cookery Course. I’m not a natural cook and she gives me confidence .

The best thing about being a writer…

Every day is a discovery – about your characters and what they are going to do next.

Buy Penny Vincenzi’s latest novel THE PERFECT HERITAGE  now!