Lottie Hazell shares how she came up with the idea for Piglet

What was your writing process like? Did you have a writing routine or any regular rituals?

My routine changes depending on where I am in the writing process. For the early drafts, I commit to an hour or two per day of writing time. I can pick up the work, then put it down and go about the rest of my daily life. When it comes to editing, I have to fully commit to the work and its energy. Routines go out of the window. Life becomes the book, and the book becomes life! I imagine I am quite boring to talk to and live with during this period.

How did you first come up with the idea for the book? 

I wrote the first version of Piglet as part of a practice-based Creative Writing PhD. My research was concerned with satisfaction, disclosure, and the role of food in fiction. Piglet is the culmination of these preoccupations.

If you could have dinner with any fictional character, who would it be and why?

Toad of Toad Hall. I imagine he’d be up for a feast, tell a brilliant story, and be excellent craic, don’t you think?

If you were a character in a novel, what would be your signature quirk or catchphrase?

‘What are you having for dinner?’ I believe this kind of information is deeply important. If I meet you, I will ask.

What fictional world would you want to live in, and how would you survive or thrive there?

When it comes to fiction, my penchant is firmly contemporary and a little depressing, so I’m going to look to children’s literature for this answer. I would be very happy in Winnie-the-Pooh’s world. I imagine I’d spend much time stomping around The Hundred Acre Wood, stopping into various friends’ homes for tea, snacks and chat. Oh yes, I think I could thrive there.

What's the weirdest talent or skill you have that not many people know about?

I can eat more gherkins than you’d imagine in less time than you’d think.

What's your go-to karaoke song, and how well do you perform it?

'Dancing Queen' by ABBA. If our metric for success is the singer’s enjoyment, then I think my performance would be superb.

Where is your happy place and why?

Anywhere near water. No matter the time of year, if I can submerge my toes or my body, I am restored.