Michael Byrne

As a child

I was born in Eastleigh Hampshire – sometimes referred to as "beastly Eastleigh" by outsiders. I had a sheep dog when I was little but it died of cancer of the eye. My childhood seemed quite shouty and loud at the time on account of having two younger brothers who kept getting into trouble, and doing things you weren’t supposed to do.

As an adult

I ‘"studied" at Staffordshire Polytechnic but after a year I was asked to study somewhere else. Eventually I got a degree in English at Thames Valley University which is now called something else. I started writing when I was sixteen, as an alternative to studying. It was, looking back, not the wisest of choices.

As a writer

I work in the kitchen in the summer when it’s warm and upstairs in the winter when it’s cold. I usually write after I’ve cleaned out the cat litter and had a cup of coffee.

Things you didn’t know about Michael Byrne

1. I was evicted from my allotment because of the weeds…
2. I am allergic to pollen and cats but I do have a garden and a cat.
3. My favourite colour is orange because it’s much nicer than brown and almost as cheerful as yellow but not as bright and reminds me of the 70s
4. I like eating toast with peanut butter on and marmite and marmalade. I have it nearly every day for breakfast.
5. I love my daughter.
6. I’ve got a piano but I don’t know how to play it.
7. I taught myself to play chess from off the back of a Rice Krispie box.
8. I didn’t learn to read until I was eight.
9. I hate the words zany and naff.
10. I love cycling along the beach.