Below are some of the questions I sometimes get asked by my readers. Scroll down to read more! If there's a question you'd like an answer to which doesn't appear here, why not write to me? Click on the CONTACT ME tab above to find out how to get in touch.

When Did You Decide to Be a Writer?

I know a lot of writers say this, but I truly always wanted to be a writer. As a child, I collected endless notebooks (mainly ones with Snoopy on) and scribbled all sorts of nonsense in them: poems, short stories, ideas and thoughts that had been going round my head all day. My grandpa used to give me huge desk diaries which he had finished with, and I used them to write in, too. My love of notebooks has not faded over the years, and I still have a pile of them by my bed. I also carry one around with me wherever I go in case I get an idea. If I don't write something down immediately, I forget it!

What Inspired You to Become a Writer?

Reading lots and lots of brilliant books by amazingly talented authors is what got me going! I was a member of the Puffin Club from a young age, and I loved getting the magazine, Puffin Post (which you can subscribe to nowadays too, as it was reissued two years ago!). I gobbled up all the interviews with authors and devoured all the recommendations on which books to read. Every birthday I was given books or book tokens, and I spent hours in my room, reading and escaping into fantasy worlds. Even now I am a member of a book group which reads a book a month and then meets to discuss it, and I read all the reviews in the newspapers to find out what's hot and what's not! My dad is also an amazing story teller - he does all the "voices", and I looked forward to him coming home every night to read to me.

What Was Your Favourite Book as a Child?

I am often asked this, and find it soooooo hard to answer, as I was (and am) such a book worm. But I suppose it has to be The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. And yes, I did climb into my wardrobe in a desperate attempt to meet Mr Tumnus and Aslan . . .