Meet Alexandra

Alexandra is the middle McDermott sibling and, once upon a time, was excruciatingly shy. She has, happily, almost completely outgrown this tendency. She owns three typewriters, a cream-coloured Scheidegger Princess-matic, a hefty Olivetti Studio 44 and a Hermes Baby; and yes, she does actually write on them. The only excuse for such madness is that she loves editing her work, and gets a big thrill out of going back over the pages with a red pen and marking all over them. She adores classical music, and in the summer, if you go to the BBC Proms at Royal Albert Hall, you’d have a very good chance of finding her sitting patiently in the Arena day queue–probably with her Hermes in the tote bag alongside her.

A bit more about Alexandra . . .

Writing Style: historical fiction, crime . . . and cookbooks

Other Lives: Pastry chef

Education: Pastry Arts Diploma from L’Academie de Cuisine, Certificate of Journalism from University of Massachusetts, Chef Training Certificate from George Brown College, Novel Studio at City University

Favourite Books: Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson, The 39 Steps by John Buchan (something about men being chased across the moors of Scotland apparently appeals to her), Funeral In Berlin by Len Deighton

Favourite Authors: G. K. Chesterton, Raymond Chandler, Len Deighton

Most Influential Authors: Ernest Hemingway, Nigel Slater, Len Deighton

Favourite Film: Ben-Hur