Today is the publication day for Abby Clements and her brilliant debut Meet Me Under the Mistletoe. We caught up with her for a quick Q&A:

Where were you born? In north London

What’s your comfort food? Macaroni cheese, or gnocchi. Yum. I can’t resist carbs.

What’s your favourite tipple? Rum and ginger beer – or, at Christmastime, sloe gin.

What superpower would you want? To know what male family members really want for Christmas

Dog or cat? Dog all the way – particularly dressed in antlers or silly outfits (sorry, dogs).

What keeps you sane? Friends who’ve known me since I was in school, when I wore huge red glasses and my mum cut my fringe.

What scares you? I can’t swim in the sea without thinking of great white sharks

Beaches or adventure? Both. Just not at the same time, thanks (see above).

What’s your holiday read? The Villa by Rosanna Ley

What is the best present you’ve ever received? A silver necklace with a fox, from my boyfriend. The chain also has a little silver hat on it, so at certain points of the day the fox can be wearing the hat. Hours of entertainment for a writer with deadlines to meet.

What have you learned about yourself as you’ve got older? That I’m more cheerful first coffee of the day

What would people be surprised to discover about you? Quite how grumpy I can be before that.

Sweet or savoury? I love chocolatey things

What is your favourite sport? Is this a trick question? Or if we’re talking about watching, the paralympic high jump was awe-inspiring.

What is your favourite way to travel? Buses – I can’t resist snooping in people’s first floor windows…

Would you rather read the book or watch the film? Read the book

Night in or night out? Summer – night out, Winter – night in

What are you currently listening to? Michael Kiwanuka’s Home Again – just beautiful.

Check out her website for more information about the book and a whole lot more!