British author Adele Parks has built an impressive literary career by combining sharp observations about relationships, emotions and everyday life with an ability to keep readers turning the pages. Since publishing her debut novel Playing Away in 2000, Parks has written a book every year, with her work now translated into 31 languages.
In a candid interview with Rosanna Greenstreet, the author offered a glimpse into the person behind the novels, discussing everything from her writing habits and family life to love, regrets and the things that still keep her awake at night.
Adele Parks and Her Love of Words
For Parks, writing is much more than a profession. Asked about the greatest love of her life, she gave an unexpected answer: words.
Her relationship with language has shaped virtually every part of her adult life. She credits words with helping create her career, her lifestyle and even her relationship with her husband.
That lifelong connection to writing is particularly striking given the consistency of her career. Since her debut, Parks has maintained an extraordinary publishing rhythm, producing a new book every year.
Her latest novel, Eyes on You, continues that tradition.
A Career Built on Resilience
Parks describes herself as enthusiastic, resilient and empathetic—three qualities that also help explain her longevity as a novelist.
She has experienced the pressures that come with maintaining a major writing career while also being a wife and mother. Yet one of the achievements she values most has little to do with sales, awards or professional recognition.
She considers the love of her son one of her greatest accomplishments, particularly because she has managed to maintain a demanding career alongside motherhood.
Parks was awarded an MBE in 2022 for services to literature and has also worked as an ambassador for literacy charities.
What Adele Parks Would Change About Her Past
Despite her success, Parks admits that she sometimes wishes she could rewrite parts of her younger years.
If she could edit her past, she says she would have become fitter when she was younger. Her answer carries the humor and self-awareness that run throughout the interview.
More seriously, Parks also reflects on an uncle who died by suicide when she was in her twenties. She wishes she could have had another opportunity to tell him to hold on, acknowledging that she and her sister were too young at the time to recognize the warning signs.
That memory reveals a more vulnerable side of the author behind the confident public persona.
Love, Family and Everyday Happiness
Parks describes love as a combination of safety, acceptance, peace and reliance, but also challenge. For her, a strong relationship isn’t simply about comfort—it also involves emotional and intellectual growth.
She jokes that her celebrity crush is Taylor Swift, admiring the thought-provoking quality of Swift’s lyrics.
Away from her writing desk, one of her guilty pleasures is surprisingly simple: staying home and playing Scrabble.
And if she could make one immediate improvement to her life? She would choose to have a sushi chef in her kitchen.
