The main character in my Tasmanian crime book is from Berlin. Her name is Cattis Cull, she’s a 33-year-old academic – and I only have a vague idea as to why I ‘made’ her German… I say made, but characters tend to create themselves.

Perhaps she’s German because:

• I love Berlin
• I have German heritage (my last name was Anglicised during WW1), and learnt German growing up
• One of my favourite books is Anna Funder’s Stasiland
• I can remember where I was when the Wall came down
• There’s something enigmatic, mysterious and cool about Berlin

I kind of imagine her looking like actress/author Kitty Aldridge.

Again, not sure why.