Susie Dent wrote debut novel during Countdown breaks

Susie Dent wrote her new novel during 'Countdown' breaks.

The 59-year-old lexicographer, etymologist, and media personality has been a regular on Channel 4's 'Countdown' since 1992 but recently branched out with the release of her debut novel 'Guilty by Definition'.

She told the Belfast Telegraphy: "I knew I couldn’t have a nine-to-five working routine, so I snatched any moments I could to write — on buses, trains, in between 'Countdown' episodes.

"For all that it was sometimes frustrating, it also kept my enthusiasm for writing very much alive.

"Writing the novel became an absolute joy and I loved approaching language and etymology in an entirely different way.

"But I’d be lying if I said it was easy. Writing fiction requires very different skills to non-fiction and I found the weaving together of the story’s intricate threads really challenging.

"But I love the parallels between word detection and crime solving: they share the same requirements of looking for clues, gathering evidence, fathoming human motivations. That was a hugely fun part of writing for me."

Meanwhile, Susie says working on 'Countdown' is a "privilege" and she has no plans to leave despite her new career.

She said: "Almost all of us have watched it at some point, and so many of our audience and contestants tell us how they grew up playing it with their parents and grandparents.

"Being part of that history has been such a privilege. It’s given me over 30 years of joy and I hope there will be many more.”