Triptych

Visuals are hugely important to me, especially when beginning a book.

Once they've been in your head a while you can take their features for granted, like those of old friends; but it took quite a search before I was happy that I had found faces for three of my central characters.

Hogarth's tableaux always form my mental backdrop for 18th century London, but for more intimate portraiture I have pillaged the works of Joshua Reynolds, transforming his portrait of Joseph Banks into the 'young' Archie Pullen (left); Mrs. Charles Ogilvie into Charley, a Drury Lane actress (centre); and real-life actress Mrs. Abington into Porzia, a woman of mystery (right)...