Breakfast With… Florence Knapp Before she wrote her debut novel, The Names, Florence Knapp was already well known as a heritage craftsperson. Twenty years ago, with young children at home, she began a sewing blog that focused on English paper piecing, a specialised type of hand-sewing that drew a devoted community of fellow makers. “I don’t like the label “introvert,” because I think we all contain multitudes, but I suppose I have quite introverted tendencies, and working with your hands can make it easier to be in a crowd. It creates a private space in your brain,” Florence says. But all the while, she was experimenting with fiction. In 2022, Florence spent six months working on the first draft of her debut novel, a story that tracks the fallout of domestic violence, and the ordinary decisions that can shape a life. “I feel a need to write. It has often been fiction, but it doesn’t have to be. Writing the blog, or having a Substack, or writing an Instagram post - those things also feel as though they serve the same need. It’s a quiet form of communication, isn’t it? It’s having a connection with other people.” You can find out more about Florence Knapp’s craft on the #TOASTmagazine via the link in bio. Florence Knapp (@florenceknapp_) Words by Jo Rodgers (@jo_rodgers) Photography by Aloha Bonser Shaw (@alohabshaw).