Amanda Smyth's novel Fortune has been included on the Walter Scott Prize shortlist. She wrote for the Irish Times about the inspiration and influences behind the book.
With Fortune, I knew only this: I wanted to write about an explosion. I began by researching personal stories connected to the 7/7 London bombings. Back then, I worked at the Barbican, travelled by tube every day from Maida Vale. My route took me via Baker Street, calling at Edgware Road at the exact time the attacks occurred. I was lucky. On July 7th, 2005, I was away visiting my family in Trinidad. I watched the BBC news in horror.
