Q
1. What inspired you to become a writer?
2. Your Questions! When will book 3 of Kitty Slade come out?
3. Will you visit Newcastle again?
– Emily Mather
A
1. Lots of things! But mainly reading to my children when they were small. Before that I wrote and illustrated picture books, and I wanted to have a go at writing longer stories.
2. January 2012! Venus Rocks.
3. I hope so! I really enjoyed it.
Q
Do you go online social games?
– Isaac Marchant
A
I’m not into gaming, no – don’t know how I’d find the time! I do chat on Facebook, but that’s just for friends and family; more publicly I’m on Twitter.
Q
1. Do you believe in hell and heaven?
2. And, why did you switch your job to an author instead of staying an illustrator?
– Amber Hasson
A
1. To be honest, I don’t believe in an afterlife. I believe that our spirit lingers for some time after the body has died – it takes a while for the energy to dispel. But after that…gone. As you can see, this does not stop me from making up stories about ghosts!
2.It got to the point where I really wanted the greater creative freedom. As an illustrator, you are usually interpreting other people’s ideas. It’s more exciting to express your own.
Q
How long does it take to write a book? Will you write an autobiography?
– Neve Diggle
A
How long is a piece of string?! The shortest time I’ve taken was three months, the longest, a year. The actual writing isn’t the most time-consuming part, but the dreaming-up/researching beforehand.
Q
1. Do you know any famous writers?
2. What extraordinary characters are there?
3. Who is your favourite character?
– Millie-Mae Gardiner
A
1. Well, I do know a lot of writers, some more famous than others, but all of them fabulous. They’re mostly people I know from my part of North London, which includes people like Karen McCombie and Justin Somper. Some I know really well, others less so, but if you want some big names, then Andy Stanton, Meg Rosoff, Robert Muchamore and Cressida Cowell all know me. A bit. They even let me touch the hems of their garments from time to time. Oh, and from other parts of the country, I’ve known LA Weatherly and Liz Kessler for a long time.
2. They’re all extraordinary characters. Oh, you mean in books? Well, I’m not sure whether you mean in my books or other people’s, so I’ll move onto
3. …And give you a favourite character from someone else’s book, and one from my own. So (and this is COMPLETELY random, you understand): Lyra, from His Dark Materials. Yeah, obvious, I know: sorry. But she is utterly captivating: I love her wildness, her wit and her courage. She’s just great. Of my own characters? I’m quite proud of Nolita Newbuck, from The Silk Sisters trilogy. She’s scarily glamorous, by turns kind, distant, intimidating, confused… When you read to the end, you find out why…
Q
How do you…think of a name for your stories because I myself can never think of a name for my writing.
– Alex Lea
A
I imagine you’re talking about titles here, as opposed to names of characters…well, they all fall under one of two distinct categories: either they come to me straight away (as with Toonhead, Pink Chameleon, Fire & Roses) or I have to brainstorm for ages (as with Chocolate Wishes, Tiger-Lily Gold, Venus Rocks). There is no in-between! It can be really maddening. When I brainstorm, I make lists of words relating to the subject, divided into two columns, nouns and adjectives, then play around with combinations. Hope that helps!
Q
Do you get annoyed when you do not like your book?
– Taylor Scully
A
Ha! Well, you are right to think that it doesn’t always go swimmingly! The problem for me is not usually that I don’t like the book, but am having a problem with one area. Sometimes I get tangled up in knots trying to sort out the plot. Or I write a scene that just sits there all lifeless like a squashed pigeon in the road; then have to delete the whole thing and start again. And yes, when that happens, I get annoyed. I get REALLY FED UP. Tea helps. And friends.
Q
I was just wondering where you get your characters. Do you take random people from the street and turn them into characters? Or do you do something else?
– Rachel Quinn
A
Hmm, kidnapping people from the street, I hadn’t thought of that… 
No, I can honestly say that strangers are not the people that inspire me to write my stories. Inspiration comes from people I know well, people I know only slightly, people I may have met only once or twice…but always there is something that has struck me about them: that spark that says, ‘they’re not quite like anyone else I’ve ever come across’. And that might be because they’re funny or silly or unpleasant or lovable… Also, there’s often more than a bit of me in my main characters. Most of my characters are composites, meaning they are mixtures of characters, or inspired by someone I’ve known, but exaggerated. Sometimes I don’t know I’m basing a character on someone until I’m re-reading my work, and I think, ‘hang on, I know where this came from…’
Q
Do you enjoy writing? Do you like your job or is it lonely? Would you recommend it or not? I think you chose the right job.
– Abigail Ridley
A
I love it when it’s going well! If I get to the end of the day and I’m really pleased with what I’ve written – well, there’s no better feeling. But when it isn’t – see above! I do like my job and I don’t find it lonely actually because I LOVE being by myself and being allowed to retreat into my imagination. Some people can’t bear to spend whole days by themselves though, and obviously I wouldn’t recommend it to them – although there are plenty of writers who work in pairs or teams, as with TV and advertising.
Q
Have you ever met Matt Haig who wrote Shadow Forest?
– Olivia Appleby
A
Not in person, but we are Facebook friends!