I’m a Londoner of proud Italian and Greek-Cypriot heritage with working-class roots. I grew up on a council estate in central London for the first twelve years of my life and studied Film at university. In my twenties and early thirties, I worked in TV and post-production, had a couple of children and then in my forties decided to turn my attention to my true passion: writing.
In 2019, I graduated from Faber Academy’s Writing A Novel course where I started work on my debut novel, The Call of Cassandra Rose. In 2020 I was accepted onto the inaugural Madeleine Milburn Mentorship scheme and was signed by the agency.
Also a qualified hypnotherapist (long story – don’t ask), I promise I’m nothing like the character in my first novel, I really am a pleasant person.
I currently live in North London with my hubby, two adorable teenagers, two smelly cats and dog named Ripley.
what inspires me to write?
I draw inspiration from movies, art and music, architecture and furniture design, and of course from reading amazing works of fiction. But mostly I am inspired by the mundane and ordinary, overhearing conversations on public transport, in a café or sidewalk, during the school-run, before that hot yoga class begins, observing how people interact with one another. Basically, spying on people, so you better watch out.
My love of thrillers started from when I was an early teen, watching Hitchcock movies and discovering the beautiful tales of Daphne du Maurier. As the years peeled away, my obsession spiralled into a love of all things Horror, Gothic and the Macabre.
Stephen King, David Lynch, Jack the Ripper, Stanley Kubrick, Iain Banks, J.G Ballard, The Cure, Film Noir, Bram Stoker, and all those classic Gothic horror movies were all a source of inspiration for me growing up.
Books are a uniquely portable magic.
Stephen King.
Sophia Spiers 