Tamsyn Murray

Q: What were you like at school?

A bit of a know-it-all, I'm afraid!

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

A princess, a vet or an ambulance driver.

Q: Which three words describe you best?

Funny, hard-working and loyal

Q: What makes you cringe?

Jokes which aren't funny

Q: What are you afraid of?

Spiders and clowns

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

About ten minutes ago :D

Q: What do you do as a hobby?

I sing and dance and act with an amateur dramatics society!

Q: What’s your favourite food?

Cookies and Cream ice cream.

Q: What do you day dream about?

Cookies and Cream ice cream.

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

I'd love to be a singer or an actress. Or a gardener (providing there were no creepy crawlies).

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

Younger - much younger. Sometimes, I feel seven years old.

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

There are lots of people on this list but I'd really like to meet Margaret Thatcher, the first woman Prime Minister. I think she's an amazing woman, regardless of her politics.

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

The Coliseum in Rome - you could almost see the history around you.

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

If a job is worth doing, it's worth doing properly. My mum told me this when I was eight years old and it's stuck with me.

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

I'd like to be more patient.

Q: How long have you been a writer?

Around two years, but I've been learning how to do it my whole life.

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

Yes, in January 2008 I decided to try and be a writer. It worked!

Q: Where do you do your writing?

Anytime - morning, afternoon, evening - whenever I have some spare time.

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

The best thing is hearing from readers that they have really enjoyed your book. The worst thing is worrying that they won't!

Q: Where do you get your greatest ideas from?

I dream a lot of them - there's a notepad and pen beside my bed so I can write them down the second I wake up.

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

I think you have to write through it; it doesn't matter if it isn't very good.

Q: What was your favourite book as a child?

I read anything I could get my hands on - sometimes, I'd visit the library twice in the same day because I'd read the books from the first visit. But my faourite book was Beauty by Robin McKinley, which is a retelling of the Beauty and the Beast story.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Keep going - it isn't always easy to be a writer but get the words down on paper and worry about making them better later.