The 42-year-old writer and producer created iconic character Maggie Muff and wrote 50 Shades of Red, White and Blue, Dirty Dancin' in le Shebeen and Maggie Yer Ma! She lives in north Belfast with her two daughters Lola (12) and Lexi (10).
A: Not really - I walk the dog and I go swimming. I've got joint problems so I find jogging and things like that quite hard. I think when you are writing you sometimes go into hermit mode and lock yourself away and then when it's finished I'd be going swimming and making plans again.
What is the worst illness you've had?
A: I had breast cancer in 2013 so it's coming up to seven years now. It was discovered it very early so I was very lucky, but I still had to do chemotherapy to get over it and I'm still on medication as a preventative measure. There is an effect going forward with joint pain and things like that, but it could be worse so you just have to get on with it.
Q: How healthy is your diet?
A: It's not bad. I go through phases. When I'm in hermit mode and writing, I would be eating a lot of snacks and takeaways but I do go through healthy periods. I don't eat a lot of red meat - I could easily be a vegetarian, but my kids don't eat as many vegetables so they need meat for a balanced diet and I find myself cooking meat for their sake. I also love baking cakes and buns and desserts. I've started trying to give them away so they're not in the house - which my friends love. I think everything in moderation is the best diet. It's the moderation part that people struggle with, including me.
Q: Any bad habits?
A: It's takeaways. Sometimes there are not enough hours in the day. This year I've been doing a Masters degree and I do all the cooking, cleaning and working - I do everything and sometimes it's just a case of "let's get a takeaway".
Q: Do you drink and smoke, and if so how much?
A: I don't smoke, never smoked. I hate the smell of it. I drink when I go out with friends but I would have one night out in two months. I don't drink in the house, but people keep buying me wine and it's still here two years later.
Q: Do you take any supplements?
A: No, and I should really be taking cod liver oil for my joints. I should probably take iron as well because I don't eat a lot of red meat and I have been anaemic before.
Q: How do you take time out?
A: Spa and massage. I go the odd time to the Culloden and have a swim in their lovely pool, then half an hour in the Jacuzzi and a full body massage - sometimes I go with a chum and sometimes myself. It's just my wee treat. It erases everything from before and you feel like a brand new woman coming out.
And once a year I go to Benidorm for a long weekend with my three friends. We have nine kids between us and that is our mummy time off. We spend the whole day on the beach talking about relationships, kids and more - it's just like therapy. And as soon as we get home, we rebook for next year - that's how much we love our weekend.
Q: How well do you sleep?
A: Most of the time it's good. If I'm on the phone a lot in the evening it will keep me up. If I drink cola or coffee after 4pm, I'll be up half the night. If something is bothering me it will keep me awake but it's mostly caffeine that has a big effect on me.
Q: Do you worry about getting old?
A: No, not a bit. I might not even have been alive and I will never, ever worry about getting old. I look forward to it, I look forward to the kids being grown up and having the whole day to yourself and having little hobbies. I look forward to retirement. I've no regrets - I've enjoyed life taking risks and chances and if I'm not happy with something I change it.
Q: What is your go-to product that keeps you feeling healthy?
A: I started yoga over a year ago and the teacher is brilliant. She's very spiritual and reads poetry while we're doing it. At the end there's 15 minutes of relaxation when you're lying down with your eyes closed and she reads out inspirational poetry, and half the time we all fall asleep.
For details about the forthcoming Audible recording of Fifty Shades of Red, White and Blue, visit www.facebook.com/50ShadesOfRedWhiteAndBlue
