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
John O'Leary
http://www.oleary-irsara.com/john.htmjohn@oleary-irsara.com
To download this profile page, click HERE
Q: What were you like at school?
Very confident and outspoken to begin with, then I went to secondary school and it was downhill all the way from there. My best friend and I fell out over a bike and we haven’t spoken since – maybe I should give him a call!
Q: What did you want to be when you were a child?
A carpenter – I probably would have been quite good too.
Q: Which three words describe you best?
Not - very - good - at - answering – questions – in – three – words.
Q: What is your favourite word?
Irma (my wife’s name).
Q: What makes you cringe?
Sentimentality and soppiness (see above).
Q: What are you afraid of?
Something bad happening to my nearest and dearest. However, I tend not to dwell on things that might never happen.
Q: When did you last have a really good laugh?
My kids provide me with a least one good laugh per day – it’s the least they can do given how much they’re costing us.
Q: What is your most treasured possession?
My bike.
Q: What do you do as a hobby?
Work feels like a hobby to me.
Q: What strange habits do you have?
I have a tendency to straighten things.
Q: What’s your favourite food?
Emmental cheese, popcorn, anchovies and chocolate-covered nuts – but not all in the same sandwich.
Q: What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?
Model maker or film editor.
Q: Do you feel younger or older than your current age?
I’ve always felt younger than my actual age.
Q: If you could meet one person, dead or alive, who would it be?
My Dad, as we never really got to know each other as adults.
Q: What quality do you most admire in a person?
The courage to stand up for what’s right.
Q: What is the most interesting place you have ever visited?
Urbino, in central Italy, where I found myself. I found my wife there too.
Q: What is the best advice anyone has ever given you?
STOP STRAIGHTENING THINGS!
Q: What would you most like to change about yourself?
I’m far from perfect, but I can’t think of anything I’d want to change.
Q: What has life taught you?
It’s not necessary to fit in with everybody else, pursue your dreams and do what you really love.
Q: How long have you been a writer?
I was an illustrator first and I’ve always drawn. I combined it with the writing about sixteen years ago.
Q: Was there a specific moment in your life when you decide to become a writer?
It was a gradual process.
Q: Where do you do your writing?
As I’m also an illustrator and paper engineer, a lot of my ideas take shape visually so it tends to be at the drawing board or in front of the computer. I also jot things down when I’m out-and-about.
Q: What are the best and worst things about being an author?
The best thing is the feeling you get when a project takes over and you become completely immersed in it, the worst is when mistakes are made after the book is handed over.
Q: Where do you get your greatest ideas from?
My ideas are sparked off by random thoughts and experiences, and things I’ve seen and heard.
Q: Which of your own characters do you most identify with?
Professor Mole and Detective Paws.
Q: What do you do to combat “writers’ block”?
I usually have a few things on the go at any one time. If something isn’t working, I’ll leave it for a bit and switch to something else.
Q: What book do you wish you had written?
There’s a few – The Happy Hocky Family by Lane Smith springs to mind.
Q: What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Don’t give up.
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