Adele Parks: ‘If I could ​edit my pas​t, I’d be fitter younger – I​ would have been hotter’

The author on the habit she can’t control, the writer she’s never read, and the true love of her life (it’s not her husband) Born in North Yorkshire, Adele Parks, 57, studied English at the University of Leicester then worked in advertising. In 2000, she published her debut novel, Playing Away, and has since written a book every year. Her latest is Eyes on You. Her work has been translated into 31 languages and in 2022 she was awarded the MBE for services to literature. She is an ambassador for charities promoting literacy including the National Literacy Trust, which is collaborating with the Department for Education on the National Year of Reading 2026. Parks is married with a son, and lives in Surrey. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Speaking negatively to myself. What is the trait you most deplore in others? Laziness. What was your most embarrassing moment? When I concentrate, I put my thumb in my mouth. I once did it during a really important meeting when asked a question I didn’t know the answer to. When I left the meeting my friend said: “What did you put your thumb in your mouth for?” I didn’t know I’d done it. Describe yourself