Nicky Pellegrino, author of Delicious, answers our questions

Who's your favourite author?

I have loved every single one of Amy Tan's books. She manages to combine compelling stories and characters. And she always makes me want to eat good Chinese food.

What's the first book you remember reading?

I was an Enid Blyton girl. I remember a book called The Children of Cherry Tree Farm that I read time and time again. I think it was basically about a group of city kids discovering nature.

Where do you live? And why?

I live in Auckland, New Zealand, mainly because I fell in love with a Kiwi man. But I also love the big, wild beaches and the small population. This country is still so unspoilt and if you haven't visited it then you should try to.

What's the greatest influence on your writing?

My upbringing. My father is from southern Italy and my mother from northern England. Both of those places and the people I met in them shaped the way I think and write.

Where do you write?

Officially, in a damp little hut at the bottom of the garden. In reality, in bed, on the dining table, on the sofa, on holiday . . .

Typewriter, word processor or pen?

My i-book laptop. I'm sure it does all sorts of clever things but all I do is write on it.

Name your favourite literary hero and villain.

I don't have any.

Where were you born and raised?

I was born in Liverpool and raised in Wallasey, just over the River Mersey. My dad worked in a factory and my mum mainly focused on raising her family.

What is your philosophy of life?

Don't limit yourself. And try to wake up happy.

How many brothers and sisters do you have? Is anyone else in your family a writer?

I have two brothers. Vince is an actor and he's been in TV shows like Casualty and Where the Heart Is. Eduardo is studying for a PhD in Physics.

Did you enjoy school? What is your most vivid memory of your school years?

My main memory is how insufferable I was. Those poor teachers! I loved stuff like English and History, but sciences left me cold.

What educational qualifications do you have?

I have a BA in English from Lancaster University.

Did you always want to be an author? If not, what did you originally want to be and when and why did you change your mind?

Like lots of people, I always imagined I'd write a novel one day. Had I realised that it was just a matter of sitting down and starting it, I might have got round to it a little sooner.

Name your top five pieces of music.

Anything sung by Nina Simone.

What were the first pieces of writing that you produced? e.g. short stories, school magazine etc.

I wrote a poem called 'I Wish I Had a Pony' when I was very young. I finally got one around 30 years later.

Who do you most admire and why?

Anyone who has the guts to follow their dreams.

What jobs did you have before you started writing?

I still have a job. I'm the editor of a magazine called New Zealand Woman's Weekly. My dream is to write full-time, but I'm still a little lacking in the guts department.

If your house was burning down, what would you save?

My husband, my poodle Fergus and my laptop (which has the first draft of my next novel on it).

Tell us about your best or worst holiday experience.

I broke my toe on my wedding night. We were in Fiji at the time, so I guess it counts as a holiday. I'd convinced myself my new husband had drowned in the hotel pool, so kicked off my heels and went running after him in the dark. The inevitable happened and I crashed to the ground. My husband turned up shortly afterwards. He'd gone to walk his mother back to her hotel room.

What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you?

The night before my wedding, I tripped over a palm tree in the dark and grazed my leg badly. The resulting wound showed through my gauzy wedding gown. I was mortified. At that stage, I didn't know that the business with the toe would hurt a lot more.

How do you write each novel, i.e. do you block out the narrative first, take each page at a time, create the central character, build a cast of characters?

I think about it a lot and then I map out a basic plot and characters. Often things will change as I develop the story.

Any anecdotes about the research or writing of your books?

My initial idea for Delicious involved me spending three months in Italy getting my aunts to teach me to cook. Sadly that never happened. But I have managed to use the book as an excuse to travel to Italy and eat unfeasibly large amounts of buffalo mozzarella, all in the name of research.

Have any of your books been televised or made into films? Who by and when were they screened?

I wish.

What is a typical writing day?

I don't really have them. I write at weekends, evenings or when I'm on leave from my job. The trick is to ignore the cobwebs hanging from the ceiling, the unwashed laundry, the empty pantry etc. and just sink into the writing whenever I get the chance.

What is your favourite website besides your own and www.orionbooks.co.uk?

www.nzww.co.nz, which is the website of the magazine I edit.

What do you do when you are not writing? How do you relax? What are your hobbies?

I have a horse that I keep on a farm near a beautiful black sand beach called Muriwai. He is a large, mostly thoroughbred chestnut called Boxer and I would love to do dressage on him but as it turns out I'm really quite bad at it!

Have you started your next book? Can you tell us a little bit about it?

Yes, it's called The Gypsy Tearoom and it's set in a small southern Italian town. It's the story of a beautiful girl who is widowed young.

What single thing might people be surprised to learn about you?

I'm over six feet tall.

Anything else you'd like to add?

Um, no.