Sussex-based writer CJ Tudor worked as a copywriter, television presenter, voice-over artist and dog walker before taking up her pen. Her previous books include The Drift, The Burning Girls, The Other People, The Hiding Place and The Chalk Man, which won numerous awards, including the International Thriller Writers Award for Best First Novel. Her latest book, The Drift, described as ‘the wildest thriller of the year’, is out now in paperback (Penguin, £8.99)

The book I loved as a child

The Owl That Was Afraid of the Dark by Jill Tomlinson. I was scared of everything as a child and prone to night terrors, so I loved the message in this book about how darkness can be a positive thing.

The book that inspired me as a teenager

It might seem odd for a child who suffered from night terrors, but I read ghost stories all the time and wrote lots of weird tales. It helped to get the fear out. Then, aged 11, I picked up Christine by Stephen King in the library (with my dad’s library card). Instantly, I became a constant reader and King has been an inspiration ever since.

The book I’ve never finished

Catch 22 by Joseph Heller just didn’t work for me. I felt frustrated – perhaps I just wasn’t clever enough for it? Later, I realised you don’t have to like a book just because other people tell you it’s a classic. I hate snobbery in literature. Read what you enjoy.

The book that moved me most

Not many books move me to tears, but The Life of Chuck in Stephen King’s short story collection, If it Bleeds, is incredibly poignant. It depicts three stories in the life of Charles ‘Chuck' Krantz, but in reverse, starting with his death.

The book I’m reading now

The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton. The world has been destroyed by a deadly fog. Only 122 people and three scientists remain, living on an idyllic island. But when a murder takes place, the security systems surrounding the island lower. If the murder isn't solved within 92 hours, the fog will smother the island – and everyone on it. I love Stu’s books. Each is different and brilliantly plotted.