This much I know: Michael Harding

I’m delighted at the success of my book Staring at Lakes, but I have to admit I’m surprised by it.

I was 11 when I first got published. I had two poems in Junior Digest and from then on, I wanted to be a writer. I had a wonderful uncle who bought me a typewriter when I was 14 and showed me how to type.

I think writers can come up out of nowhere, it hasn’t so much to do with lineage. It’s like the accident of your life forces you to become a writer, there is almost nothing you can do about it. Although, my dad was a bit of a writer — he did reviews and articles for The Irish Press — and a great reader. He certainly encouraged me.