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I love talking to Maeve Binchy. And she loves talking too.ÌýTalking wasÌýactively encouraged when she was growing up. To beÌýseen and heard, she says. Ìý

She's promoting her new novel and is quite shameless about the fact that she enjoys a good natter. She says she starts every book as if she wasÌýwith a friendÌý and is about to launch into a story "Let me tell you something".Ìý

She's kind of stunned that she'sÌýgoing to turn 70 this year.Ìý"Inside I still feel I'm 23" she says. "I thought when you got oldÌýyour mind narrowed but it doesn't".Ìý

She also told me howÌýshe doesn'tÌýworry aboutÌýbest seller lists any more, "they can worry about that in London".ÌýBut when she was younger, she admits that she would go into bookstores and re-arrange theÌýlayout of the books, putting Joanna Trollope and other "rivals" behind hers.ÌýTrollope has admitted to Binchy that she did the same to her books!

"Minding Frankie" is published by Orion Books. Ìý