Liz Kessler

Q: What were you like at school?

Naughty! Until I had a brilliant English teacher who made me want to behave and work hard, and who made me think I might have some talent!

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

A poet. Also an air hostess. (No idea why the latter - I'm pretty scared of flying now!)

Q: Which three words describe you best?

Um. You decide.

Q: What is your favourite word?

Swishy! :)

Q: What makes you cringe?

The sound of cutlery scraping across a plate. Eeeouuch!

Q: What are you afraid of?

Big spiders, flying and very high heights!

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

Last sunday having dinner round at a friend's house.

Q: What is your most treasured possession?

My grandmother's ring, which I always wear.

Q: What do you do as a hobby?

Body boarding, playing the piano, poi (Look it up if you want to know what that is. There's a pic of me doing it on my website!) walking the dog on the beach, reading, photography. Not that I find the time to do anywhere enough of any of them!

Q: What strange habits do you have?

None!! ;) Well, I wouldn't think they're strange would I, because they're mine!!

Q: What’s your favourite food?

Bacon butty - yum yum!!

Q: What do you day dream about?

My stories - plots and characters. Oh, and Emily Windsnap the Movie! :)

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

How boring am I? I can't think of a single outrageous thing. I'll have done lots of outrageous things when I was young - but have trained myself to forget them all!

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

Wildlife documentary film maker; Antarctic explorer; Coastguard rescue person; time traveller. (Not sure if this last one actually exists...yet!)

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?

Someone from the future who can tell me how the world's going to end up, and how we can save it!!

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

What I most admire is simply someone who is 100% genuine.

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

Enormous underground caves in Spain. They really fire my imagination.

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

The Chinese word for 'Crisis' is the same as the word for 'Opportunity.' Not exactly advice, but a good one to remember.

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

Right now, I'd love to lose two stone and be really really fit.

Q: What has life taught you?

To celebrate and be grateful for every single day of it.

Q: How long have you been a writer?

I first started writing when I was about eight. But I've been published as an author since 2003.

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

Absolutely. I can remember the day very clearly. I was playing a game called 'Fantasy Lives' with my mum, and suddenly realised that all of my fantasy lives involed writing. It was very immediate. Within a couple of months, I'd left my job, enrolled on a Writing MA and started on a novel!

Q: Where do you do your writing?

Mostly at home in my study. Sometimes in a cafe with a notebook.

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

Best - oh, so much. The thrill of being involved in a story is probably the top thing. Also, the fact that you can organise your work when it suits you - you can spend all day at your computer in your pyjamas if you like. You can sit in a cafe watching the world go by while you figure out your next plot twist. You receive lovely emails from people who've enjoyed your books. It's a brilliant thing to be! The worst - probably when you get really stuck and just can't figure out where to go. But taking a bit of time out, and having good, supportive writer buddies, generally helps you get through those times pretty quickly.

Q: Where do you get your greatest ideas from?

Truth? I have no idea!! But I'm grateful for them.

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

I think there's probably a bit of me in Emily Windsnap, and perhaps in Daisy too.

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

I think the best thing (for me) when I get really stuck is to take some time out - let it all settle down in the back of my mind for a while, and then come back to it fresh. Also, I talk to a few carefully selected writing buddies who always help me through these times too. Thankfully, it hasn't happened to me much in the last few years, but I know that it can happen, and it can feel awful when it does, so I never take anything for granted.

Q: What was your favourite book as a child?

The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster. Also The Adventure of the Wishing Chair, by Enid Blyton.

Q: What book do you wish you had written?

Just the ones I have written : )

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Work hard, listen to people's advice but believe in yourself. Keep trying. Get yourself a writer buddy who can share the pains and the joys with you. Most of all - ENJOY IT!