Ryan Love: 'I first attempted suicide when I was 14 and a half'

"Those challenges have been tough, there were very dark times I had to fight to overcome over the years; it’s still a constant battle. It’s not something that I go: ‘Oh, yeah, I achieved that. And I overcame that challenge.’ I still take it day by day."

Ryan Love: new novel is out this month via HarperCollins

I’m from a big family. In typical Irish fashion, mum’s one of eight, and dad’s one of nine. So family has always been hugely important in Enniskillen, where I’m from. I was a very quiet, shy, hide-in-the-corner-with-a-book type. Reading was my thing — I loved being tucked away with a book and writing my own stuff. That’s where it all started, thanks to mum introducing me to the Roald Dahl collection. The Harry Potter series was a huge influence too.

The first time I read Matilda, I fell in love. Mum was a big reader. She was the one who encouraged me to pick up a book, zone out, and just find somewhere — a different world — to escape. I think that’s what it was for her as well. She saw that I was a little different — I wasn’t into sports. Not quite a loner, but I struggled in school to fit in.