Frequently Asked Questions
How long have you be writing for?
Forever. I’ve been writing down stories since I was a child. I still have some of little books I wrote and illustrated myself. I was always reading, drawing or writing as a child. I was always making things as well. My favourite pasttime was to make dolls’ houses out of cardboard shoeboxes or little towers out of toilet rolls then I would make the dolls to go with it and act out little stories with them. I have always had a fascination for Victorian dolls’ houses and toy theatres, so used to try and make my own. I also loved creating paper dolls and dressing them in paper clothes. I think I was quite a busy child!
Why do you write?
Without wanting to sound corny, it’s because I have to. I have this absolute compulsion to do it. I have so many ideas mulling about my head, that I have to get them down and tell the stories. The only way I can describe it (and this might sound a bit mad) is that it’s like breathing to me, an absolute necessity.
Are you rich?
No. Unfortunately not. Like most writers, I have another job to do. I work for the Health Service in Glasgow as a Publications Manager, which means I produce a public newspaper, work on the website and produce things like leaflets and fliers as and when needed. It’s a busy old job, but I make sure I make time to write.
You work, you’re a mum and you’ve got a house to run, when do you find time to write?
It’s not a question of finding time, it’s a question of making time. I’ve joined the Mitchell Library and use their computers at lunchtime. I actually wrote a large part of DarkIsle at the Mitchell in 2006, writing down ideas and chapter plans in longhand during my lunch break as the excellent catering staff kept me filled up in tea and biscuits. I don’t write every lunch time, so I do still get to enjoy the lovely food in the cafe bar. A quick hello to Marilyn and the team who provide such an excellent service there!
I also squeeze in some time at home. I’m lucky enough that I don’t work a full week, so I try and write at least 1000 words on those days and over the weekend. I’m not a magical person who finds it easy to sit down at the computer and write every day - some days are easier than others. I have a lovely husband who continually encourages me to write and I know that, once I start writing, that’s me off.
Where do you write?
We’re lucky enough to have a room in our house, which we call the ’study’. It was originally a dining room, but when we moved in, we made it a place for books and writing. The study has my old oak desk that I bought from an antiques dealer at the Barras market in Glasgow.
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
My getting published has not happened overnight. I have been writing and sending away books to agents and publishers for more than ten years. I have had more rejection letters than I care to remember.
My advice is:
- Practice your craft - write every day if you can.
- Keep an ideas book handy at all times - I have been jotting down ideas for years in my little books. It’s a great way of getting inspiration.
- Read everything - it’s one way of improving your writing plus you might just find yourself coming up with new ideas for stories from it.
- Be observant - I recently came up with the idea for a new story just from driving past an old gateway every day. You can get a story from any object, any person or any mad idea.
- Keep going - it’s important you don’t get downhearted. If you have been sending chapters away to agents or publishers, don’t let every rejection letter get you down, although it’s hard not to! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve given up writing “for good”, but then had to go back to it because I have this mad desire to do it.
- Don’t do it as a way of making money or becoming famous…writing’s a hard old business and not one you can just ‘do’, you need to be dedicated and work hard and then you might see some success.
- If you can, attend creative writing classes to improve your writing. A few years ago, I signed up for two sessions of creative writing classes (evening) with Glasgow University and loved it! Ask at your local library if there are classes near you. There are courses for both children and adults available.
Do you have any pets?
No, although the major love of my life when I was a teenager was the family dog, Robbie. He was a miniature Yorkshire terrier and a lovely wee thing. He died a few years ago. We all still miss him terribly.
As a child, I also had a guinea-pig, various goldfish and a budgie called Tweetie Pie (not my choice of name, my youngest sister named him that! Well, she was only about three at the time!).
What’s your favourite colour?
Um, that’s a hard one. I love all colours. I think if I had to choose two it would be yellow and red because they are so cheerful. My favourite used to be purple, but it’s not now. Don’t know why I went off it, but there you are.
Who’s your favourite author?
You’ll find a full list in the ‘my favourite children’s books and authors’ section. For authors of adult books, I love Joanne Harris, Terry Pratchett, Daphne Du Maurier, Dickens, Sir Walter Scott, the Brontes, Jane Austen and Janet Evanovich - to name a few.
Do you plan to write more children’s books?
Yes, I’ve got loads of ideas, I just haven’t had the time to write them all down yet!