My guest on The Shift with Sam Baker podcast today is Louise Doughty, the woman behind some of the knottiest thrillers to grace our bookshelves and TV screens in recent years.
Her bestseller, Apple Tree Yard about a sensible middle aged woman who makes a very unsensible decision (involving sex in the house of commons!) sold over half a million copies and was turned into a smash hit BBC series starring Emily Watson. She was also the brains behind the breathtaking BBC drama Crossfire that starred Keeley Hawes.
Of course What you don’t hear, is that Apple Tree Yard was Louise’s 7th novel, catapulting her to “the big time” at the age of 50.
Her latest book, A Bird In Winter, looks set to continue that trajectory. Think The 39 Steps if the lead was an extremely resourceful 50something woman on the run.
Louise joined me to talk about how her “overnight” success at 50 transformed her life (mainly she finally started a pension!) and why it’s still considered controversial when middle aged women have sex! We also discussed surviving the menopause-puberty collision, the unrealised potential (and fury) of the middle-aged woman and the power and importance of realising you’re not for everyone.
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