Steve Smallman

Q: What were you like at school?

My school reports said things like,"Could try harder." and "Steven tends to mess around when he thinks no-one is looking."

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

A zoo keeper!

Q: Which three words describe you best?

Arty, friendly, caring

Q: What is your favourite word?

today it's 'squelchy'!

Q: What makes you cringe?

When my son gets a tattoo. When people shout at their children in public. Wire coathangers. (They're evil!)

Q: What are you afraid of?

Anything bad happening to my family

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

I laugh all the time

Q: What is your most treasured possession?

A box of old letters from my wife Ann.

Q: What do you do as a hobby?

Walking,gardening,watching films and TV. (But not in that order!)

Q: What strange habits do you have?

Too many to list!

Q: What’s your favourite food?

Pork cassoulet! Yum!

Q: What do you day dream about?

Winning awards for my books!

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

I couldn't possibly write it down here!

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

TV presenting (if I wasn't so old!)or acting.

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?

Rolf Harris

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

kindness

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

Rome

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

My careers advisor at school who suggested that I should try for a career in art, rather than be a zookeepeer!

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

I'd like to be better organised and have nicer teeth!

Q: What has life taught you?

Money isn't everything

Q: How long have you been a writer?

about eight years

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

I was asked to write a few simple stories for a reading scheme that I was illustrating. I tried it, they liked them and I thought, "Hey, I can do this!"

Q: Where do you do your writing?

All over the place, now I've got a laptop

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

The best is when you hear that a book you've written is someone's favourite bedtime story. The worst is when you've written something that you're really proud of and the publisher doesn't like it!

Q: Where do you get your greatest ideas from?

They just pop into my head (Not always when it's most convenient!)

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

Little Odd the viking.He's a lot like I was as a child,a bit weedy, very artistic, rubbish at fighting and his best friend is a girl!

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

I take the dogs for a walk and mull over the story in my head. Sometimes I say phrases out loud and get odd looks from other people in the park!

Q: What was your favourite book as a child?

anything by Dr Seuss

Q: What book do you wish you had written?

Peace At Last by Jill Murphy because it was my children's favourite bedtime story.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Don't limit your imagination, let it loose and who knows where it will take you. Don't be satisfied until what you've written is the best it can be. Enjoy yourself, if you don't enjoy writing it, who's going to enjoy reading it?