Valerie Mason-John, who's also known as Queenie, has just published Borrowed Body, a powerful account of growing up black, underprivileged and determined to survive. Taking elements from Mason-John's own life story as a child growing up in care, her book is a mixture of fable, fantasy and gritty reality. The author stopped by to talk about it some more.

What's your favourite part of Borrowed Body?
The opening pages and the friendship between Pauline and her angel friend Annabel.

There's a big dose of autobiography in your novel, so why use fiction to tell the story rather than a regular memoir?
Like most first novels I've used part of my life as a catalyst to tell a story. If Pauline had lived a 'normal' life with her parents, people wouldn't be saying autobiographical. I am a writer and artist, and to be that one must enter the world of imagination and fantasy.

To me, Borrowed Body is a book about survival and you are obviously a great survivor. I was wondering, what's your top tip for surviving the worst?
Borrowed Body, is about how young people cope with loss and abandonment, and how they create their own imaginary world. We don't know whether Pauline survives, the story stops there. When young people have had trauma, it's the age between 16 and 25 we need to be concerned about.

My top tip for survival is stop, pause and breathe - and then put yourself in therapy to help yourself heal.

So what are you these days?! A performer? A novelist? A writer? A theatre practitioner?
I don't pigeonhole myself. Everything is impermanent. I have always written for a job, I began as a political mainstream journalist. In terms of who I am, I don't know anymore, it's not relevant. What is relevant is how I live my life. And these days I try to be as ethical and skilful and as compassionate as I can be.

Could you say a little bit about your anger management work?
My next book is Detox Your Heart, it explores ways of working with anger, fear and hatred, and the contemplation of forgiveness. I have been working as a trainer in anger management for the past eight years, along with developing my Buddhist meditation practise over the past 15 years. It is aimed at the general public, and is what I call a self awareness book

What's next for you?
I have a green card, due to my work as an artist, writer and trainer in anger management, so next year I will try out San Francisco.

What else would you like to say?
Borrowed Body is a book for everyone. There is much that will resonate. It's dark, it's funny, it's documentary. I have always followed my heart. Now that I am in touch with my feelings my heart keeps me out of trouble.

Look out for our review of Borrowed Body.

Borrowed Body by Valerie Mason-John
Published by: Serpent's Tail
ISBN: 1852428910
Price: £8.99

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