The thriller writer’s 59 Minutes plunges into the panic that ensues when England gets news of an imminent nuclear attack.

What inspired this novel?

The thing that I was aware of inspiring me was listening to a podcast about the Hawaii missile false alert in January 2018, and the way that people behaved. I thought, that sounds awful—but that’s a great idea for a book. What inspired me without my realizing it was the 7/7 London Tube bombings in 2005. I was a young journalist, very near two of the explosion sites, and I had very young children at the time. The image of walking in the middle of the road with hundreds of other Londoners trying to get home to their families burrowed quite deep.

Did covering such frightening subject matter affect your day-to-day?

I had so much trouble sleeping at night! It hasn’t fully left me. I’ve got these horrible stacks of horrible information, horrible research. I had dreams about a nuclear attack; I had dreams about not being able to get to my children in time.

The three main narrative threads of 59 Minutes focus on women. Do you have a feeling for why you gravitate toward female characters?

I do find women incredibly interesting. It’s not that I can’t write men, but I feel like I can really get into the skin of female characters, and I do feel a compulsion to show authentic, rounded women—which sounds a bit hand-on-heart, but it’s actually true. I think the women in my life are the most interesting, smart, brave, witty people, and I love seeing people like them on the page.

What’s something about you that might surprise readers?

I am very influenced by Arnold Schwarzenegger. I read his autobiography many years ago, and every year he writes a list of things he wants to achieve that year. It’s not resolutions, it’s not giving stuff up, it’s goals, and he only chooses things that he can absolutely achieve. I did that the year I decided to finish my first book, and I’ve done it every year since. That approach, as silly as it sounds, genuinely helped me be honest with myself.

What scares you?

It frightens me that there is quite a lot of ignorance around nuclear threats, particularly among younger people. I remember talking to somebody who was in their early 20s about this, and they said, “Oh, it’s fine if it doesn’t hit your house.” That was quite eye-opening. I don’t want people to live in fear, but I don’t want them to be ignorant either. Also, I’m terrified of spiders. I’m not great in the dark. I’m very bad in confined spaces. Yeah, I’ve got a lot of fears.