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 liked to daydream at school, and look out of the window, and wait for the teacher to read us a story ... and then as I got older I began to like science and started to work hard!
Q: What did you want to be when you were a child?
Fireman. Footballer. Snooker player. Scientist.
Q: Which three words describe you best?
Badly dressed man.
Q: What is your favourite word?
Wardrobe.
Q: What are you afraid of?
Cliff edges.
Q: When did you last have a really good laugh?
Yesterday when I realised a certain member of my family is exactly like 'Gollum' from the Hobbit.
Q: What is your most treasured possession?
Possessions are not very important to me. If someone took all of my things away, I'd be just the same ... well, maybe I'd cry if someone took my swimming goggles.
Q: What do you do as a hobby?
Swim, swim, swim!. And row and walk and listen to the radio.
Q: What strange habits do you have?
I write at my computer standing up.
Q: What’s your favourite food?
Beans on toast.
Q: What do you day dream about?
Wild adventures.
Q: What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?
Astronaut.
Q: Do you feel younger or older than your current age?
Younger. All older people are younger in their minds - that's something to remember when you meet them.
Q: If you could meet one person, dead or alive, who would it be?
Galileo, who invented the telescope and other amazing things hundreds of years ago.
Q: What quality do you most admire in a person?
I admire people who try their best and do their best. Everyone and anyone can do that.
Q: What is the most interesting place you have ever visited?
California, where I used to live, has lots of interesting places - volcanoes, cliffs, oceans - all those wild places.
Q: What is the best advice anyone has ever given you?
Hard work really pays off.
Q: What would you most like to change about yourself?
I have grown used to myself by now, and so I'm going to say 'nothing' - though I'm sure if you ask other people, they might say 'everything!'.
Q: What has life taught you?
To relax and enjoy myself.
Q: How long have you been a writer?
Since 1997, I've been a writer full time.
Q: Was there a specific moment in your life when you decide to become a writer?
I gradually started to write, first a little, then a lot. But in 1997 I felt like I should give it a go full time.
Q: Where do you do your writing?
At home. First on the settee, with a cup of tea and maybe a biscuit... and then to my office, to type it up and work on it again and again.
Q: What are the best and worst things about being an author?
The best is being able to do what I want when I want. That means sleeping late if I want, having breaks when I want... but also getting the best out of myself by working hard when I really need to. The worst thing is that it takes a long time, and a lot of luck, to have stories made into books.
Q: Where do you get your greatest ideas from?
I get many ideas from real life, especially from my children. Though sometimes I just think them up.
Q: Which of your own characters do you most identify with?
Harvey, from The Team football series, is like me when I was his age. Although he's a lot better at football than I was - he's going to be a great player when he grows up.
Q: What do you do to combat “writers’ block”?
Bake a cake.
Q: What was your favourite book as a child?
The Three Billy Goats Gruff!
Q: What book do you wish you had written?
The Hobbit.
Q: What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Write when you feel like writing, and write what you feel like.
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ISBN
9781921272042
Published By
Little Hare
Status
In Print
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ISBN
978-1405228053
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Big Bear Little Bear
ISBN
978-1845063627
Published By
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Status
In Print
Shaggy Dog and the Terrible Itch
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In Print
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ISBN
978-1921272042
Published By
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Status
In Print
Digger Digger
ISBN
978-1921272097
Published By
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Status
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ISBN
978-1921049446
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Status
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ISBN
978-1921541162
Published By
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Status
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