A quick-fire Q&A with Catherine Lowell

Catherine Lowell’s debut novel, The Madwoman Upstairs tells the endearing coming-of-age story of Samantha Whipple, the last remaining descendant of the illustrious Brontë family as she navigates her was through life at Oxford University, following in her eccentric father’s footsteps. The book was hailed as one of the best books of 2016 by Elle and Red magazine as well as by BBC Radio Four’s Open Book, and The Madwoman Upstairs has continued to marvel readers since it was published in March.

We caught up with Catherine for a quick Q&A, and here’s what we found out:

1. If I were to be stranded on a desert island, my one luxury item would be…Limitless hot chocolate.

2. The item I have more of than anything else… It’s gotten so bad that I now have to stack them in piles on the floor.

3. The best play I’ve seen… Noises Off!

4. The one piece of advice I would give my teenage self…Stop worrying. Worrying will do you no good!

5. When I was 5 years old I wanted to be…An author or a filmmaker.

6. The comedian who makes me laugh the most…Lucille Ball—still!

7. If I had to eat the same meal for dinner every day for the rest of my life…A really delicious roast beef sandwich.

8. If I could go back to any time in history… Ancient Greece, but only the non-violent parts…

9. The best invention ever…Oof! It’s a three-way tie between the printing press, the camera, and the piano.

10. The best thing about being a writer…Is how many different worlds you can invent and different characters you can inhabit

Praise for The Madwoman Upstairs:

“A perfectly paced and plotted literary mystery with a wonderful heroine at its heart” – Anna James, Literary Editor, Elle magazine

“An absolutely brilliant, fun debut” – Open Book, BBC Radio 4

“A funny, smart read with a kick-ass heroine” – Sun on Sunday