Hiya. Tina here.
I’ve always wanted to be a writer – ever since a poem I wrote went up on the wall in Infants School. It was important to learn to read and write as my mum struggled and my grandad signed his name with an X. They were fairground people – it’s hard to get a proper education when you’re moving around so much.
I’ve always written. I was a journalist for 30 years, but, by the end, the pictures were bigger than the space for the words.
When my dad died I decided to go for it and did an MA in Creative Writing at City University. That gave me the confidence to submit work and search for an agent.
I still support my writing by working as a fitness instructor/personal trainer. I’ve always struggled with my weight and body image and keep fit keeps me sane. (ish)
In my spare time (what spare time!) I rescue cats and annoy my husband, Geoff. He’s my chief cheerleader and has appeared in his pants on TikTok to promote my books!
Meet Tina Baker
Questions on Writing
What is the hardest part of your writing experience?
Finding time when I’m not exhausted. I’m old and the day job is tiring. Having said that, I don’t have kids, or work down the pit, so there’s no excuse.
What have you learnt about yourself when writing?
I have done deep dives into several personal traumas as I am to be as authentic as possible in my writing. That’s unearthed a LOT of stuff. I do find writing cathartic, thought.
Do you make yourself write everyday/regularly, or only when inspiration strikes?
I do bouts of writing every day, even just a little. And that’s the best! But no one said how much time promoting a book would take – from filming something on Instagram to spending a weekend away at a book festival. Sometimes a few days go by, and I haven’t managed to actually write, and that makes me terrible anxious.
What does literary success look like to you?
I think it’s a combination of feeling the writing is the very best you can do (and it can always be better), plus readers enjoying the work, sales, and any critical accolades that come your way. I have a bingo list of things I wanted as an author – from being in a bookshop, having a bestseller, having a book launch, etc. Four books in, my first book launch will be on February 15th 2024! I’m still to win a prize, or say “I’m an author” without feeling like a huge imposter.
How much planning/world-building do you do before writing, and how much comes along as you write?
Most comes as I write. Even initial ideas change. I usually come up with a topic/theme/character and then just dive headlong in.
You have a real talent for writing thrillers; what was it that attracted you to the genre?
To be honest, I didn’t realise I was ‘thrillery’. Call Me Mummy was the first book published, but the first I wrote wasn’t a thriller – a novel set in a circus that I’m still working on!
How do you celebrate when a book is published?
I go into a bit of a state. The day itself is almost non-stop twittering and saying thank you to people on the socials. For the paperback of Make Me Clean, I went to a few bookshops and signed it, then had a snack in a bar my husband used to manage.
Questions on Books and About You
Firstly, the most important question, what books are currently ‘on your bedside table’?
My TBR is huge as (no-one tells you this) once you’re published, agents send you books by other authors to read and give a comment. The one I’ve just read is the Booker winner, Prophet Song, which traumatised me in the way only the best, most brutal writing can.
What children’s book would you suggest every adult read?
I loved A Wrinkle In Time as a child. And as an adult I read the YA novel The Girl With All The Gifts. Both, in some ways, deal with ‘otherness’ and loneliness.
What does your writing space look like?
It’s the kitchen table – which isn’t in the kitchen as there’s no room. Usually adorned with a cat or two. Not very hygienic!
How many books do you think you own?
I have always given a lot away to friends and charity shops, but still have several hundred.
Who is your literary icon?
I can’t pick one, that’s so not fair! Writing today, Roddy Doyle, Margaret Atwood, Douglas Stuart, and Joyce Carol Oates.
If you could own one rare/1st edition copy of a book, which would it be?
Please don’t stone me, but I wouldn’t want something like that. In my flat, with cats, damp, and various upstairs neighbours who’ve flooded my rooms at least a dozen times over the years, I’d be too terrified! Things like that belong in libraries to be enjoyed by all.
Is there an author who you always read?
All the Viper authors!
And finally, are there any plans for any new books? If so, what teasers can you give us?
That circus novel is coming along – slooowly – and I have two thrillers in first draft form that I’m currently editing – one set in Hollywood, the other about toxic sisters.
Thank you Tina 😊 I am VERY excited about your book set in a circus!
Tina Baker’s Books
Books By Your Bedside 