I’ve had to research an area and then imagine what it would be like 80 years after everyone simply disappeared – what would be left standing, what would the roads be like, what state would houses be in – windows, doors, curtains, furniture, tins of food, bottles, blankets and sheets…?

I need the backdrop before I start writing. Then I can ignore it and get on with the story, knowing the truth of the setting.

And I’m thinking of adding a dog. Bit clichéd, but maybe it will work. Dakota, I know what she’s doing now, pretty much, but Jester, what’s he doing out there? What’s his plan?