Katriona O'Sullivan

Do you think you need to read to write?

No.

A lot of people I know who write don't read.

Because it influences their stories.

For me, I think learning words and learning prose and structure and, you know, how conversation can be written about came from reading.

So in my case, definitely, I think reading influenced my ability, but I don't think it's necessary.

One book every woman should read.

That's tough, isn't it?

Oh, yeah.

God, it's really, really hard.

I suppose Maya Angelou, Why the Caged Bird Sings is a phenomenal book.

I also think The Body Keeps the Score is a fantastic book.

It's psychology, but it also really explains trauma a lot.

I think Poor is an amazing book for people to read and learn, especially women.

I mean, I love Elaine Feeney's work.

She wrote a book called As You Were.

And honestly, it's probably one of the best books I've ever read about womanhood and motherhood.

What should people stop waiting for before they start reading?

I think knowing what the end of the story is.

So in my case, with Poor, I wrote a list of memories and just wrote the memories.