Caroline Jolly

Quick bio

Caroline Jolly was brought up in Scotland, studied at London University and at University College, Dar es Salaam. She now lives in London where she has worked as a Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist for many years. She is the author of Nearest and Dearest and is in the process of writing a psychological thriller, Seeking Harry.

• Place of birth Farnborough, Hampshire. Father was an aeronautical engineer there, but didn’t stay long.
• Education School in Glasgow. Uni. At University College London, and PG at University College Dar es Salaam.
• Who wold you most like to meet? Probably Freud. I owe him a lot.
• Best advice? You’re never through till the fat lady sings - i.e. life in progress.
• Regrets? Not many
• Favourite song? `All you need is love.’
• Favourite colour? Blue, all shades.
• Hates? Garlic. Needless stupidity.
• Best way to relax? Glass of wine and crossword.
• Biggest influence? A prof. at UCL and a Psychoanalyst later. Family and friends of course.
• Sport? Pilates, if that counts. Or watching grandsons play cricket.
• Holidays? Love France or Italy.
• Favourite subjects at school? Art, English, drama.
• Prediction? Hard to say in unsettled times.
• One wish? Good health for self and loved ones.
• Inspiration for Class Act? I did have a reunion a while ago with some old school friends I hadn’t seen in ages. In fact it was a happy event because a lot of corners had rubbed off and we have stayed friends.
• What is your writing process? “A day in the life of a writer”? I grab what I can from a busy day. It has to fit in with work, caring and trying to keep in touch with family and friends.
• Do you have a favourite spot to write? Definitely. My local library which has a great reading room. Fewer distractions and I like the atmosphere of study.
• Who has been your greatest influence as a writer? Wow! Possibly Shakespeare from school. I found Hamlet fascinating and had an extremely good English teacher. Can still hear her wonderful rolled Scottish `rrr’ sounds. Nowadays, I like contemporary fiction, Ann Tyler, Kate Atkinson, Ian McEwan and others.
• What is your favourite genre? For relaxation hard to beat a good thriller, but also like quiet stories where not much seems to happen but where the is plenty of character interest and psychological development.
• What would you like the reader to take away from Class Act? Oh, I hope, a feeling of having had a bit of fun. Don’t make assumptions, is definitely one of the messages and reckon with the role of chance in life – that `what if’ factor. What if Sharon or Tiffany hadn’t gone to that Private View.
• Who would you spend a two week holiday with from your characters? Tiffany, I think, because despite her frightful arrogance she is an interesting person.
• Which character would you trust with a secret? I would trust Fran because she is honourable and has obviously kept quiet about a lot of things she knows.
• Which character would be the most entertaining at a dinner party? Sharon probably, because although she is brash she is proudly so and is out to have fun.