Jill Hopkins

Q: What were you like at school?

A terrible day dreamer so missed a lot of important points!

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

A vet

Q: Which three words describe you best?

optimistic, quirky sense of humour

Q: What is your favourite word?

Pookie, because its the name of my terrier and when I say it she comes wagging her tail, and just to look at her (she looks like a bad hair day!) makes me laugh

Q: What makes you cringe?

cruelty

Q: What are you afraid of?

being under water

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

this morning when Pookie marched around with a long chew looking as though she was smoking a cigar

Q: What is your most treasured possession?

my father's SAS cap badge from World War Two

Q: What do you do as a hobby?

Paint, look after ducks, geese, silkie hens, horse and at present two kune kune pigs

Q: What strange habits do you have?

I'm obsessional about removing the horse droppings from the field!

Q: What’s your favourite food?

Breakfast of raw oats, weetabix, grape, nuts raisins,, fresh fruit and honey all in one bowl

Q: What do you day dream about?

people enjoying my attempts to create

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

jumped out of an aeroplane (with a parachute)

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

an actor

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

hugely younger ...perhaps its a second childhood

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

My grandparents..I didn't have any

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

honesty and determination

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

Iran

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

My father said aim at the stars and you might hit a haystack

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

I'd like to be more organised and have a greater attention span

Q: What has life taught you?

To live for every second...and not waste a moment

Q: How long have you been a writer?

since I could do joined up writing

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

no

Q: Where do you do your writing?

somewhere comfortable...on a sofa with a view.

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

best thing is being on a journey...and having a wonderful adventure. The worst thing is trying to get someone else to appreciate your efforts

Q: Where do you get your greatest ideas from?

they appear in the night, often in dreams... the sort of dreams when you're just between sleep and wakefullness

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

Drop off to sleep, or go out for a walk both refresh the brain

Q: What was your favourite book as a child?

the Biggles books

Q: What book do you wish you had written?

The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Don't try too hard...just let your mind go into all the different corners. And observe life around you - Listen Observe and Feel