In 2011, I did an internship in Seven Dials, a junction in London where seven roads come together. I'd given up on writing after multiple rejections for my first novel, and I was starting to consider a career in publishing instead, but Seven Dials gave me such a strong idea for a setting that I couldn't resist picking up my pen again.

I often look at places and kind of mentally convert them to fantasy versions of themselves.

People question what I thought of Oxford. Students used to talk about the 'Oxford bubble' because the place can make you feel cut off from the rest of the world. I would forget there were places like London that were not centred round libraries and essays.

My silver cord - the link between my body and my spirit - was extremely sensitive. It was what allowed me to sense dreamscapes at a distance. It could also snap me back into my skin.

My dad battled various financial mishaps for years before achieving success as a stunt director, but my parents ensured that my brother and I knew all about the family's struggle. We knew from where each piece of furniture came from.

When I was younger, I was testing myself and questioning everything, but now it's less about that and more about these are the years of my life with my family.

When I wrap my hands, I do it for my family. I owe my courage to them and also my success. That's why I fight.

This name Mandela is an albatross around the necks of my family.