Interview

Sally Andrew discusses the inspiration behind her first novel, Recipes for Love and Murder.

First of all, congratulations! Your debut novel, Recipes for Love and Murder, will be published in at least twelve languages, across five continents. What does it feel like to receive such an enthusiastic response to your work?

Thank you! When a dream-wave crashes onto the shore of my reality, it is hard to find words that don't sound corny or trite. I am delighted, and filled with huge gratitude. And I'm overwhelmed and still find it hard to believe. I am half-expecting to discover it is all an elaborate email scam. Is this real or part of the scam?

How did the idea for the book originate?

It is usually hard to say, but in this instance, I remember writing down the seeds of an idea while sitting under a camel-thorn tree in the Brandberg, Namibia.

My partner Bowen Boshier (who is a wilderness artist) and I head off in his Landrover each year to spend some months camping in remote wilderness areas in southern Africa. We steep ourselves in our surrounds and in our creativity. I usually find that during such a trip, a kernel of a story takes root.

On that particular trip to the Brandberg, I had a close shave with a leopard. I was intrigued by a distant cave that I wanted to explore. I set off alone on a long march across the...