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
Q: What were you like at school?
I was the quiet sort at school. Very good at stories, languages and art. Not so good at maths and sport!
Q: What did you want to be when you were a child?
I've always wanted to be an author.
Q: Which three words describe you best?
Kind, happy, scatty
Q: What is your favourite word?
water!
Q: What makes you cringe?
People blowing their own trumpet!
Q: What are you afraid of?
a lot of things. I sleep with the lights on most nights.
Q: What is your most treasured possession?
my books, especially my collection of different editions of A Christmas Carol.
Q: What do you do as a hobby?
no time for hobbies, but I like going to the gym and collecting old 3d viewmasters
Q: What strange habits do you have?
I very rarely drink anything except water. I always check under the bed before I go to sleep in a hotel room. I always bite the heads off jelly babies before I eat them.
Q: What’s your favourite food?
I like lots of different food, especially seafood but I also adore ice-cream, even in winter. I make Christmas pudding ice-cream with the leftovers after Christmas.
Q: What do you day dream about?
Going to heaven!
Q: What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?
I used to be a chef and I still miss not being in a busy restaurant kitchen sometimes.
Q: Do you feel younger or older than your current age?
Much younger!
Q: If you could meet one person, dead or alive, who would it be?
I think meeting a dead person would freak me out so it'll have to be...er, I can't think of anyone famous I would like to meet. How about the milkman? He does a good job, but I've never met him.
Q: What quality do you most admire in a person?
Humility
Q: What is the most interesting place you have ever visited?
the temple of Athena on the island of Aegina in Greece.
Q: What is the best advice anyone has ever given you?
Don't panic
Q: What would you most like to change about yourself?
I'm quite happy with my life, so nothing. Oh, perhaps worrying less about things.
Q: What has life taught you?
Enjoy every day!
Q: How long have you been a writer?
nearly 30 years
Q: Was there a specific moment in your life when you decide to become a writer?
I've always wanted to be a writer. I've had lots of other jobs before I turned to writing full time, but I was a writer in my head.
Q: Where do you do your writing?
I have a small office in my house, full of books and dvds.
Q: What are the best and worst things about being an author?
The best thing about being a writer is hearing that others are enjoying my work but it can get lonely sometimes at my desk.
Q: Where do you get your greatest ideas from?
I don't know, they sort of pop into my head.
Q: What do you do to combat “writers’ block”?
I read a lot, especially my favourite books. I find focusing on a good story usually gets me back on track.
Q: What was your favourite book as a child?
The Silver Sword, by Ian Serallier; the Narnia books by C S Lewis and Rosemary Sutcliff's Eagle of the Ninth!
Q: What book do you wish you had written?
Eagle of the Ninth!
Q: What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Read a lot before you start writing, and find your own voice.
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