The work that I do currently is interesting, challenging and has allowed me to live where I do, but it does take me away from my family. It seems crazy on top of the load I already have, but I see it as an investment in the future. I recently took up the role of Fiction Editor for The View From Here literary magazine. And eventually I was managing to fit more quality writing into my days than I had before. But in the long term, as a result of having the girls, my time management and the way I set priorities definitely improved. Of course writing had to go, goodness some days we barely managed to wash and eat. Having a baby, far from the support of our parents, took every last drop of time and then some. I went through a long hiatus when my first child was born. What impact has having children had on your writing career? When my youngest was two, that’s when I really got on a roll. I’ve been writing for a long time, but really, the successful rhythm and the serious approach to writing only came alongside my children. When did you start writing? Had you established a writing rhythm or career before or did it happen alongside the kids?

She is currently Fiction Editor for The View From Here literary magazine. She has two daughters Amélie, 5 and Beatrix, 3. She lives in France where she also works and runs a gîte. Claire King’s first novel The Night Rainbow will be published by Bloomsbury in Spring 2013.

The Night Rainbow by Claire King