The Author Hotline
is
being developed by CW4K, or Creative Writing 4 Kids. They are the company behind a website that enables children to create and publish their own stories online. In its first year it has signed up over 2000 members and has been enthusiastically received by children, parents and teachers. In fact the response has been so encouraging that they are planning a huge expansion of its services. Embedding The Author Hotline into the site is part of that expansion...
For more information on CW4K CLICK HERE
Q: What were you like at school?
I talked too much and I often didn’t listen to what the teacher said because I was a dreamer and so I got told off quite a bit. I loved writing stories, turning them into plays and acting them out for my friends.
Q: What did you want to be when you were a child?
I wanted to be a vet because I loved animals.
Q: What is your favourite word?
Chocolate
Q: What are you afraid of?
Being stranded alone on a small, cold island
Q: When did you last have a really good laugh?
Yesterday, when my grandson told me a terrible joke.
Q: What is your most treasured possession?
My family – although I guess they don’t count as a ‘possession’.
Q: What do you do as a hobby?
Read, go to the theatre, listen to music, walk the dogs, eat delicious food with friends.
Q: What strange habits do you have?
Too strange to talk about.
Q: What’s your favourite food?
Chocolate
Q: What do you day dream about?
Whatever I’m writing about.
Q: What’s the most outrageous thing you’ve done?
I rang up a TV producer and asked him for a small part in his television series. I got it, too!
Q: What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?
Acting
Q: Do you feel younger or older than your current age?
Much, much younger.
Q: If you could meet one person, dead or alive, who would it be?
Charles Dickens because he wrote so much and so well.
Q: What quality do you most admire in a person?
Hard work.
Q: What is the best advice anyone has ever given you?
That persistence and determination are the most important qualities for success.
Q: What would you most like to change about yourself?
My butterfly mind.
Q: What has life taught you?
To be more patient and understanding of other people.
Q: How long have you been a writer?
Since I was about seven years old but I’ve been earning my living at it for about twenty years.
Q: Was there a specific moment in your life when you decide to become a writer?
No. I’ve always done some kind of writing.
Q: Where do you do your writing?
I have a fabulous office with a huge window overlooking fields of sheep. I love it.
Q: What are the best and worst things about being an author?
The best thing is that I love writing. The worst thing is waiting to see if somebody else likes what I’ve written.
Q: Where do you get your greatest ideas from?
Out of my head. They just pop up.
Q: What do you do to combat “writers’ block”?
I don’t suffer from that (fingers crossed!) but if I’m a bit stuck in the middle of a book, I go for a walk over the fields with my dog, Ella.
Q: What was your favourite book as a child?
Wind in the Willows
Q: What book do you wish you had written?
Wind in the Willows
Q: What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Read a lot and write a lot and don’t give up.
STORM RUNNERS
Published By
Andersen Press
Status
In Print
DANGEROUS DIAMONDS
Published By
Andersen Press
Status
In Print
HOW TO BE A DETECTIVE
ISBN
1 84270 360 9
Published By
Andersen Press
Status
In Print
SPYCATCHER
ISBN
1 84270 567 9
Published By
Andersen Press
Status
In Print
SERIOUS GRAFFITI
ISBN
1 84270 650 0
Published By
Andersen Press
Status
In Print
DOG SNATCHERS
ISBN
1 84270 649 7
Published By
Andersen Press
Status
In Print
UNDER COVER
ISBN
1 84207 825 5
Published By
Andersen Press
Status
In Print
GRUESOME GHOSTS
ISBN
1 84270 826 2
Published By
Andersen Press
Status
In Print
FOOTBALL FORGERY
ISBN
9781849390354
Published By
Andersen Press
Status
In Print
THE CASE OF THE DISAPPEARING DAUGHTER
ISBN
1 84270 560 1
Published By
Andersen Press
Status
In Print
THE CASE OF THE POP STAR'S WEDDING
ISBN
1 84270 561 X
Published By
Andersen Press
Status
In Print
KIDS ON THE RUN
Published By
Andersen Press
Status
In Print
ACE DETECTIVE
Published By
Andersen Press
Status
In Print