Is there anything you would like to share with our readers  about the inspiration for this story?

This piece was inspired/stolen from the real world. I do that a lot. Mix the true stuff with the pretend. My mother really is a classy little lady and really got a flat in the rain. A cute little girl really pulled over and helped her change it.

Do you have a writing schedule you adhere to and/or any tricks you might want to share with your readers?

I write every day. In theory. When this doesn’t work in practice I set deadlines for myself.  The deadline might be dinner with a friend, the due date for a writing competition, or an episode of my new favourite series.

What book are you reading at this time?

‘Pricksongs & Descants’ by Robert Coover. An incredible collection of metafiction.

Name the top two or three most influential writers  of your writing career and maybe a line or two telling us  why.

Raymond Carver made me realise that you could tell stories about ordinary people up close. He taught me the power and beauty of brevity. How much you could tell by showing less.

The Israeli writer Etgar Keret is someone whose writing feels like an epiphany every time I read it. His seamless blend of reality and fantasy, realism vs. surrealism reminds me that it’s okay to mix them. In fact it’s necessary.