What was your favourite childhood book and why?
When I was 5 years old I was given a copy of The House At Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne. I was too young to read it myself, so my dad offered to read it to me and that’s when I became hooked! Later when I learnt to read books for myself, I loved The Famous Five Books by Enid Blyton. It felt like the characters were old friends and the adventures were so exciting.
Which of your own books is your favourite and why?
Like many authors I find it difficult to choose. I have a soft spot for Red Snow because it was my first book. I loved plotting the mystery and writing about the wild cats in the story. However, I also loved the slightly spooky feel of Angel’s Child and the cover is amazing. I was also pleased to involve a few schools in the editing of this book. It has a quiz at the back and my eldest granddaughter provided the illustrations. So if I have to choose a favourite, I think it will be Angel’s Child.
Why do you choose to read?
I love the excitement of opening a new book, not knowing where it will take me or what I will discover. To me browsing a shelf of books is like opening a box of chocolates; I don’t know which to choose first. I know I will like some more than others and some I may not like at all, but that’s all part of the fun. I read lots of children’s books, including poems, verse novels, plays and non-fiction for all ages and I’ve just discovered graphic novels, so I’m reading lots of those at the moment. You can step inside a different world in a book. A world that is yours alone for that moment in time. But it can also be fun to chat to others about it afterwards and hear their recommendations too.
