Gabrielle Aplin

I got my first guitar when I was 11. It was an electric, and I can remember just wanting to be Avril Lavigne! But I got annoyed with having to plug it in and play with amps and pedals and stuff. Then I got given a cheap acoustic, a Tanglewood, and I thought it was awesome because I could play it anywhere!

In terms of brands, I generally try to stick with EDITION Hotels or Soho House. That way, I know what I'm getting myself into. Plus, the lobbies and bath soaps smell the same - if you're into that kinda thing, which I am.

The historical novelist has to consider what has actually happened, while the SF writer is dealing in possibilities, but they are both in the business of imagining a world unlike our own and yet connected to it.