Lois Peterson

Q: What were you like at school?

Talkative. Messy.

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

A ballet dancer.

Q: What is your favourite word?

Yes!

Q: What makes you cringe?

Belly buttons.

Q: What are you afraid of?

Belly buttons.

Q: What is your most treasured possession?

My teddy bear Edward. Adopted from my favourite teacher Miss Flintham when I was abut eight.

Q: What do you do as a hobby?

Cycle. Read. Write.

Q: What’s your favourite food?

Avocados. Mashed potato.

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

Archaeologist. Brain surgeon (as I'd love to know what REALLY goes on in there).... maybe in a way, they are the same thing.

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

Not sure what 59 is supposed to feel like. Feels just right to me.

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

Rowena Cade who built a theatre in the Cornish Cliffs.

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

Sense of humour. Openness to new things and experiences.

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

The Sinai Desert.

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

Just do it. "Leap, and the net will appear."

Q: What has life taught you?

That its best to learn to appreciate life just as it is without regretting the past or anticipating the future.

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

I ran away from boarding school in my blue housecoat and plaid slippers. I made it all the way across town and half-way home to my grandmother's village before I was picked up in a police car.

Q: How long have you been a writer?

For more than 30 years.

Q: Where do you do your writing?

Most often at the desk in my study.

Q: Where do you get your greatest ideas from?

All over. I am a thief and a liar. I pinch ideas from everywhere, and feel free to use them as I wish.

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

Tansy Hill in MEETING MISS 405.

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

By writing. Anything.

Q: What was your favourite book as a child?

The Silver Sword by Ian Serallier.

Q: What book do you wish you had written?

The Skellig, by David Almond.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Just write.

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

Best - meeting lots of kids who love talking about books, sharing their ideas, etc. Worst - when I have so many ideas I can't decide what to work on next.