Considering that horseracing features so prominently in the Skullcap Trilogy, how do you manage the balance between the fictional worlds you create with the actual business of your everyday work?

Lissa Oliver What a good question and one I ask myself frequently! Sometimes my daily work is of huge benefit to my fiction writing, because I'll uncover fascinating facts or research about things relevant to my characters or plot. But writing non-fiction for long periods of time (my day job wouldn't always be 9-5!) can really blunt creativity and imagination.
Sometimes, as with all writers, the day job simply restricts writing time and I grow further away from the work in progress. It's still in progress, in my head, racing away from me, making it harder to catch up when I can sit down and write.
So maintaining that balance is so important. I'm not always sure how to best maintain it, I probably prioritise the wrong things, but if I can prioritise my fiction work without neglecting important things, I will.
I am so lucky, though, that my daily work always inspires or reinforces ideas.

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