About Time You Met: Rebecca Reid, AuthorBy Angelica Malin
For our latest interview, we caught up with journalist and author Rebecca Reid. Known for her almost-daily TV spats with Piers Morgan, strong views and (ahem) way with words, we sat down with the debut novelist to talk fiction, cooking and feminism. Buy her book on Amazon here.
What does your daily routine look like?
It depends – one of the things I love most about being a writer is the way in which every day is different. Often I’ll be up before six AM to do a show like Good Morning Britain or Sky News. If I’m not doing telly or radio I get up around nine (I love sleep – ever since reading Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker I’ve been determined to get at least 8 hours a night).
If I’m working on a novel then I’ll spend most of the day at my laptop. On a good writing day I can look up at the clock and realise I’ve been going for hours. On a bad day I’ll get into rows on Twitter and re-watch The Crown.
I try to fit in a least one work out at Barry’s Bootcamp per week. In the evenings I’ll either cook and watch a film with my husband or head into central for drinks with girlfriends.
What’s your favourite meal to cook at home?
Cooking is my favourite activity in the world, so picking one dish is really tricky. I’m currently working my way through Slow by Gizzi Erskine. My go-to is probably a roast chicken. You can’t go wrong with roast chicken (unless you’re vegan).
What’s the best thing about your job?
Where to start? I love the freedom, the creativity, the control over my own working day. As a novelist I love that I get to make up stories in my head and write them down and get paid for it. As a journalist I love that I get to speak to people whose stories are true and yet so much more unbelievable than anything I could have invented.
What’s the worst?
The insecurity can be stressful. Freedom comes at cost – and the cost is never knowing how much you’ll earn month to month
I’m a world champion worrier, so if I go a week without having a new achievement I start to worry that I’m failing.
What inspired you to write Perfect Liars?
I wanted to answer the question I’d been pondering since GCSE English – what would happen if Lord of the Flies was a story about girls, rather than boys. Perfect Liars is a book about female friendship, competition, white female privilege and what it feels like to think you’re going to lose it all.
It’s been described as an adult British Mean Girls with murder, which I like
What are you working on at the moment?
I’ve started on my third novel, which is a missing person story about female friendships. I’m a columnist for the Telegraph Women’s section and for the Metro.co.uk which keeps me busy, and I’m plotting a non fiction book.
What’s the worst experience on TV you’ve ever had?
I recently shushed a fellow panelist who kept interrupting me. I thought it was a sensible and light hearted way to make the point that I wanted to speak, but it briefly became a national news story.
I was also once asked to explain how the process of an MP resigning works on live TV. I’ve still got no idea.
What change would you like to bring about in the world?
So many things. I’m an ardent feminist and am devoted to the idea of furthering gender equality. I’d like to be on the forefront of better maternity rights for women and a higher uptake of shared parental leave. I’d also like to mount a campaign to end the stigma about drinking Diet Coke in the morning. It’s just as valid as coffee.
Follow Rebecca on Twitter here and buy her book on Amazon here.
