Sarah Shares Her Writing Room

This is my work space; unstyled, untidied, replete with three cats. Very obliging of them to get in the shot. But then I quite often end up with one on my lap, one on my mousemat and one sunbathing under the lamp, as here. It can make writing hard, peering round a pair of ears to view my work, but recently I treated myself to a bigger screen so now it’s a more like being at the cinema with someone wearing a hat in front of you – annoying, but not impossible.

As you can see, minimalism isn’t my style. Part of me admires people who do clean white walls and shelves where one classy object strikes a deliberate pose, like a supermodel in the snow. But I’ve got far too many nick nacks that please me to limit myself to one. (Just like I haven’t got only one cat.) Sneaking into the shot on the left are my bookcases – every inch of this room is as smothered as the wall you see here. Above my desk are my work-in-progress boards. I went to Staples six months ago and treated myself to them. (I love Staples. Forget Harvey Nicks, I reckon. Staples is where it’s at – it’s far cheaper and way more practical.)

Pin boards and puffins

On the left is a pinboard, here I have (in no particular order) a voucher for a facial I’ve yet to find time to have, various book jacket designs in progress (which have to tie in with the teacups cover of my novel One Moment, One Morning, hence why that is there too), some bills that need paying, and a drawing by one niece and a postcard from another (and her Puffin, Muffin. I gave her a subscription to the Puffin Club for her birthday – she got Muffin with her welcome pack).