Happy Friday folks, today on my #bookhangover feature I am so excited to welcome author Nicky Black to talk about all the things in life that get her all off-kilter and #bookhangover ish . . .
Hello Emma, thank you for having me on your fabulous blog! I’ve been following it for a while and loved Louise Jensen’s responses, so no pressure …
Here goes …
Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Nicky Doherty, and until very recently I was a director at an urban regeneration company in London. I’ve just taken a redundancy package and am going to focus on writing for the foreseeable future. The Prodigal and my next book are based on TV and film scripts written by a good friend of mine called Julie Blackie (hence the pen name Nicky Black). After the next one I’m on my own and I’m just a bit scared…
What gives you an actual hangover?
Booze of any kind consumed in excess. But wine is particularly lethal, especially the fizzy stuff which I love and would drink all the time if I didn’t get hangovers! When I have a crippling hangover I suffer so much I stay in bed, eat Super Noodles and crisp sandwiches and watch First Dates back to back.
What TV programme?
If we’re talking about things that make you feel out of kilter when they’re over, I’d say programmes about the Universe presented by Professor Brian Cox (who is my secret crush). He helps me understand ‘creation’ and how amazing it is, but I also end up feeling vulnerable, small and very mortal.
What film?
One film that made me sob like a baby to the point where I couldn’t leave the cinema was It’s a Beautiful Life (where the kid is smuggled into a concentration camp). Any film about war or injustice leaves me feeling helpless. I can’t watch anything with scenes of torture. In fact I had to leave the room when I watched The Railway Man on DVD with my family. Empire of the Sun is possibly my favourite film of all time. And Dirty Dancing
What song?
That’s easy – Belfast Child by Simple Minds. It is so haunting and it makes the hairs on my arms stand on end. I’m of Irish descent and it sums up perfectly the troubled times that forced my family out of Northern Ireland. My granny was a big Irish Catholic mama, a force to be reckoned with, and she always hankered after her homeland.
What food?
Food hangovers! Chips – I LOVE them, and as a northerner, the more gravy the better! I’d eat them every day if they didn’t make me fat. I worked in a chippy as a teenager. Heaven!
What person/people?
Really confident people make me feel out of kilter. I’m not confident when I’m out of my comfort zone, so give me my family and friends any day. I love spending time with people I know really well and don’t need to feel inadequate alongside. I’m not shy so much, but walking into a room full of people I don’t know horrifies me (without booze especially).
Finally, which book?
The Woman Who Walked into Doors by Roddy Doyle. I didn’t think I’d ever ready anything like it again when I first read it back in the 90s. It broke my heart. I’ve read it three times, I think it’s stunning. It’s still my book hangover to this day, although it was nearly pipped to the No. 1 spot by the Goldfinch by Donna Tart this year. But no. I’d still read the Roddy Doyle if I had to choose one more book to read before I die.
Thank you for having me!
Perfect Nicky! Thank you so much for joining me today it’s been a pleasure getting to know you!
Here’s a link to Nicky’s book
And you can find out more about Nicky at her author website:
Emma The Little Bookworm 