Only Love Can Hurt Like This – Paloma Faith I love how desperate this song is. It sums up the dark side of love, highlighting how passion can be corrosive. And Paloma Faith’s low gutsy voice fits it perfectly. In TOXXIC, Tony is living in a sterile facility to protect him from the poisonous moths and lamenting his lost lover Logan, who was infected. Every time Tony gazes outside, every time he places his hand on the glass that separates him from the world, I imagine this song playing and Tony crying quietly to himself, missing the only man who made living in the facility, bearable. When he is eventually released, into a world that has no place for him, he begins to understand the extent to which he has been lied to by those who have power over him.   You’ll Never Walk Alone – Gerry and the Pacemakers This musical classic and Liverpool FC anthem is played at the funeral of a well-loved character. It was played (and sung in throaty unison) at my own father’s funeral and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. The soaring chords and hope-filled lyrics, courtesy of Rodgers and Hammerstein, are…

1–What is the title of your latest release? MOTHS 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? The Last of Us crossed with The Handmaid’s Tale A new breed of moth escapes from the Amazon and infects the world, killing men, or turning them into savage monsters. The women who survive must make hard decisions about the future of the world and the best ways to protect those men born into it. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The post-apocalyptic landscape took a lot of world-building. I had to make the familiar, strange (train stations, towns etc.) To pull this off, I needed to know the area really well, and be able to visit settings whilst I was writing so I set the novel in the south of England near my hometown. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely – especially the older version of Mary. Despite the fact she’s over seventy she’s a strong formidable heroine with a dry sense of humor. The younger version of Mary is a little more unsure of herself as she hasn’t yet had to overcome the hardships of the new world. 5–What are…