Paeony Lewis

Q: What were you like at school?

I was quiet but still managed to get into trouble (I didn't mean to crack the school window, and my dog really did chew my homework...). Plus I daydreamed too much and used to make up stories in my head about what I saw out of the windows.

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

A shopkeeper. I never imagined writing because I didn't believe I'd be good enough, although I always loved reading.

Q: Which three words describe you best?

Oddball. Caring. Daydreamer.

Q: What is your favourite word?

Gloaming. That twilight time between sunset and nightfall.

Q: What are you afraid of?

When I was young I was scared there were pelicans lurking behind my bedroom curtains. With their huge beaks, I thought they'd swallow me whole.

Q: What strange habits do you have?

I collect stones with holes from Norfolk beaches and then hang them in our tiny garden.

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

Can't tell you the most outrageous stuff, though I have parachuted out of an aeroplane even though I get dizzy just climbing a ladder.

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

My children tell me I need to grow up!

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

I used to go caving. We'd climb, crawl and swim through deep caves and when we turned off the lamps on our helmets, the blackness swallowed us up. We were smothered in utter darkness. It was another world. As was the tropical rainforest in Costa Rica. There, we trekked through lush forest, surrounded by the eerie cries of howler monkeys and the thundering growls of a live volcano. Spooky...

Q: What has life taught you?

To stop worrying about everything (though it's hard not to).

Q: How long have you been a writer?

I'd never thought of writing because I struggled at primary school (I now know I'm mildly dyslexic). I did a science degree at university and later spent many years writing advertising, press releases and catalogues. I wrote my first story about twelve years ago.

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

I adored reading picture books to my children and one day I decided I'd like to try writing them. So that's what I did. Sounds easy? It wasn't!

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

Seeing my stories in other languages is wonderful. Sadly, not all my stories become books and recently I deleted a 25,000 story from my computer. It was time to start again...

Q: Where do you get your greatest ideas from?

Watching and listening to everything around me.

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

'Writer's block' is still a problem. Any tips?

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Experiment with your writing. Accept that sometimes you'll write rubbish, but when the writing goes right, it's amazing.