Steve Hartley

Q: What were you like at school?

I was a titch! The smallest lad in the class. (I grew!)

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

An astronaut.

Q: Which three words describe you best?

Not much hair.

Q: What is your favourite word?

Nincompoop.

Q: What are you afraid of?

Ten metre-tall earwigs. And being very high up.

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

My last school visit - we had great fun!

Q: What is your most treasured possession?

My family (and my sense of humour).

Q: What do you do as a hobby?

Archery, and sleep.

Q: What strange habits do you have?

I love driving my car very slowly over speed-bumps, and I hug trees occasionally.

Q: What’s your favourite food?

Chips, fish finger butties, sausage butties, bacon butties, chicken tikka rogan josh,

Q: What do you day dream about?

Everything.

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

Astronaut.

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

Much, much younger - about ten, in fact!

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

Jane Austen.

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

Honesty.

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

Venice - it's wonderful, and unique, and wet!

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

Never give advice.

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

I am a bit lazy sometimes.

Q: What has life taught you?

Keep going, and you'll eventually get there!

Q: How long have you been a writer?

Donkey's years - I had some hair when I started!

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

When my daughters were very young. I loved the stories I read to them, and decided I wanted to have a go.

Q: Where do you do your writing?

Anywhere, but mostly on the dining table, until my wife chucks me out when the tea's ready.

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

The best: Hearing and seeing the lovely response from my readers to the stories and characters I've created. The worst: Not enough time.

Q: Where do you get your greatest ideas from?

I don't know! They bubble up out of nowhere when I'm least expecting them.

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

Danny Baker, of course! He has fun, and never lets anything get him down, even when things go wrong.

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

Write.

Q: What was your favourite book as a child?

Winnie the Pooh.

Q: What book do you wish you had written?

"Holes" by Louis Sachar, and "The Twits" by Roald Dahl.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Read, and learn to write.