Val Collins

My mum taught us all to read when we were three so I can’t remember a time I didn’t read. When I was little I lived in a tiny village in the west of Ireland and there were no book shops. Actually, there wasn’t a single book for sale in the entire area. There weren’t any libraries either. My dad worked in the city and he always brought us home books and comics. My mum taught me to read but it was my dad who thought me to love reading.

I had just turned 17 when I did my Leaving Cert. At that age I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life so I became a secretary. Later I did an Arts Degree in Psychology and History and eventually went on to work in HR. My years of office work were the inspiration for Girl Targeted although, of course, my characters are not based on real people.