10 Questions: Dawn O'Porter

Sum up your book in three words

Comical, tragic, honest.

Where did the initial idea come from?

I wanted to write about friendship like it was a love story, because female friendship can feel like that sometimes. A story about two girls who can't rely on the support of their mothers, and the special bond they have after experiencing excruciating loss that no one else understands. 

How did the title get chosen?

Back in the 90s paper aeroplanes were our texts, our emails, our social network. It was all so simple then. I guess the title was my nod to all that, but also the girls are like paper aeroplanes themselves - soaring through the air, loaded with emotion with many catastrophic crash landings. 

What's your writing routine?

Ha, wouldn't that be nice, to have a routine. I write when and where the moment strikes. Ideally I get up around 7, write until 10 and then walk the dog. Then get back into it until late afternoon. But really every day is different depending on other work I'm doing. I long for the day I have a routine.

Which book do you wish you'd written?

Fifty Shapes of Grey so I was loaded and never had to do anything but write ever again.

What's your favourite word in the English language? 

Discombobulated. I use it all the time and I am it a lot.

Who's your favourite fictional character?

Jane Eyre. Her self-respect, her commitment to being her own person. She is a beautifully complex modern woman from a very long time ago and her quotes still inspire today.

What was your favourite book as a child?

The Witches by Roald Dahl. It's the most perfect children's book ever written, in my opinion.

Which book are you recommending to everyone at the moment?

The Novel Cure. It's not fiction, but it's  beautiful book of reading recommendations. You look up your ailment and it suggests a reading list to get you through. It's brilliant and beautifully done.

What do books and reading mean to you?

So much. The books I read not only distract me from the stress that can often consume me, they inspire me to create stories, and think beyond the restrictions of the real world. Books fuel adventure both on and off the page, they are essential to my existence. 

Paper Aeroplanes and its sequel Goose are out now from Hot Key Books.