Adam Guillain

Q: What were you like at school?

The invisible man.

Q: What did you want to be when you were a child?

A shape-shifting super-hero.

Q: Which three words describe you best?

zippy happy storysmith

Q: What is your favourite word?

Wowowo (it means 'big bottom' in Kiswahili)

Q: What makes you cringe?

A posh accent saying a posh thing using the royal 'we'

Q: What are you afraid of?

Accidents happening to those closest to me - my kids being ill - that kind of thing.

Q: When did you last have a really good laugh?

My wife Charlotte and my kids are all comedians. I even laugh at their laughs.

Q: What is your most treasured possession?

Honestly - I don't have any. I'm just not interested in stuff.

Q: What do you do as a hobby?

I play tennis and any sport going on at the local park.

Q: What strange habits do you have?

I have imaginary conversations with invisible characters that just turn up out of the blue. I ask them all kinds of questions and before I know it I've got a story.

Q: What’s your favourite food?

bacon, strawberries, ice-cream and crisps

Q: What do you day dream about?

A beautiful place I know in Zanzibar called Bwejuu - it's heaven!

Q: What’s the most outrageous thing you’ve done?

I sneaked into the classroom of a teacher I really hated - I'd better not say her name - and put a whole jar of black beetles into her drawer.

Q: What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?

Tennis pro. Pop star. TV presenter.

Q: Do you feel younger or older than your current age?

Younger.

Q: If you could meet one person, dead or alive, who would it be?

The real Willy Wonka.

Q: What quality do you most admire in a person?

Kindness.

Q: What is the most interesting place you have ever visited?

Zanzibar.

Q: What is the best advice anyone has ever given you?

Love and be loved.

Q: What would you most like to change about yourself?

My inability to say 'no' to things.

Q: What has life taught you?

That there is nothing more precious than LOVE.

Q: How long have you been a writer?

I was first published in 2002 but had been writing ever since I was at school. I guess the answer is, I've always been a writer.

Q: Was there a specific moment in your life when you decide to become a writer?

When I saw my father become ill by doing something he didn't want to do. I thought then - what makes me happy? Writing! I'll do that.

Q: Where do you do your writing?

Anywhere and everywhere.

Q: What are the best and worst things about being an author?

Best is doing something that makes you happy and lets you spend lots of time with your family. There is no down side.

Q: Where do you get your greatest ideas from?

It's a complete mystery. It's like there's an invisible other me who whispers great ideas into my head - usually when I'm just about to drop off to sleep.

Q: Which of your own characters do you most identify with?

Raffety Ray - AKA Zap Boy.

Q: What do you do to combat “writers’ block”?

Go for a walk, have a cup of tea and imagine myself at ten years old and what I'd like to read.

Q: What was your favourite book as a child?

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Q: What book do you wish you had written?

Where the Wild Things Are.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Keep going.