Can you tell me when you were born?

I was born 15.12.44 so that means I could easily be your granny!

Where were you born?

I was born in Leicester. We moved away when I was only a baby, but we visited it quite often because my grandparents still lived there.

What's the first thing that you remember?

Seeing an X-ray (This was long before ultrasound.) It was of my triplet sisters just before they were born. There were three little skulls and three little backbones, all twisted together. I thought it amazing then, and I still do now.

Did you like school?

If I'm honest, not really. I liked my first school. I had a special friend there. We used to pretend to be everything you could think of. Magicians, dragons, explorers, fairies, ghost hunters or ghosts, princesses, Horse tamers. We were always forgetting to go in to lunch, or come back to lessons. I was always being told off for living in a world of my own. (I was the bossy one!)

What were your favourite subjects at school?

I loved writing stories. I hated spelling. I didn't do science until I was about twelve. Once I learned the symbols and meanings of atomic structure, I fell in love with chemistry.

Were you a good student at school?

No, I'm afraid that I wasn't. My excuse is that I went to lots of schools because my father had to move about with his job. I think I went to about six schools in all. I got six 'O' levels, quite good grades, if I remember. I left school at fifteen, (you could in those days!) because I was fed up with being ahead or behind and wasn't a very good pupil. I just wanted to get on with my adult life.
Exams are important though, and later I did a City and Guilds for Science technicians and then a degree through the Open University, in Science and Technology.

What other jobs have you done?

I worked in schools and industry as a Science Technician for many years. This was especially useful because I had school holidays off, so was lucky enough to be able to spend them with my children.
Later, when they were older, I worked in industry as a Quality Control Manager. (More science plus management. ) I liked all of my science jobs but I like writing stories a lot better.

What other job would you really like to do?

When I was young, I wanted to work with primates and language. It wasn't the sort of job girls got much chance to do then. I'd still like to do that. I think they're much cleverer than most of us give them credit for.

How many children do you have?

I have two girls, both adult and married now.

Do you have any Grandchildren?

Yes, I have four. Two girls and two boys, so I am very lucky.

Is being an author a good career?

It's a very satisfying job, quite hard work though. There's lots of re-writing to get things just right. I would advise you to train for another job first though, because it's quite hard to earn a good living. It takes a very long time! Most people have to do two jobs for a very long time.

What or who got you interested in writing?

I loved writing stories when I was at various infant and junior schools but I wasn't very good at spelling. It used to make me feel quite cross when I felt I had to use a small word when I really wanted to use a long one, because I hated getting my pages back full of red pen crossings out. I don't think that happens any more.
Later I went on to concentrate on the sciences because my father pointed out that the arts very rarely pay well and there are more science jobs to choose from.
Later when my family were grown up and needed less input from me, I thought I'd have a go at writing again. If you don't try, you don't know, do you?

What was the first thing that you wrote, and what was the first thing that you had published - how did you feel when you saw your work in print for the first time?

The first thing I wrote, and had published, was an article for 'Pet Dog's' Magazine called 'The Man who Hates Dogs.' It had a picture of my husband asleep on the sofa with the dog asleep on his tummy, even though he pretended she was a real pain. I was chuffed to bits!

What was your first book called?

My first book was 'The Parsley Parcel.' about a gypsy girl called Freya. It was shortlisted for The Whitbread Children's Award. 'The Parsley Parcel' was published in 1995 and later made into a Chivers Audio Tape and then into a television series for CITV in February 2001 called 'Gypsy Girl.'
There are no words to describe the feeling of seeing your first book in print! Exciting! Frightening! (Will people like/read the book?) You feel proud, shy, happy and scared, all at the same time.

What's the best bit about being a writer?

The freedom to live in the world in your head. When I did that at school I would get told off!
I also like choosing when and where I want to write. You still have to work hard, but when you like.

Who is your favourite author, apart from yourself?

Most of us inherit our love of books from our family. My dad read me 'Alice in Wonderland' by Lewis Carroll. My Grandad read me 'The Jungle Book' by Rudyard Kipling and these are still firm favourites. I like Theresa Breslin, Pete Johnson, Elizabeth Laird and, of course, books by my sister Anne Fine.

Where do you get your ideas from?

Usually, they pop into my head when I seem to be doing nothing in particular. Walking with my dogs, or lurking in the bath, for example.

How long does it take to think of, and write a story?

Longer that you'd guess, I bet. A story for younger readers like 'The Triple Trouble Gang.' can take a year from first idea to seeing it in a shop. 'The Parsley Parcel' took three years. There's a lot of work in getting things just right.

What is your favourite book that you have written?

My favourite book is always the one I am writing at the moment If I'm not in love with my characters, how can I expect my reader to be? The Gypsy Girl Trilogy remain my favourites when I'm not writing because without Freya, I wouldn't be an author.

Where do you live now?

I live in Hampshire, on the edge of the New Forest, and I love it.

Do you have any pets?

Lots! I have one cat, three dogs...one blind, one old and senile and one very naughty. Pond fish, and Tropical fish. A whole houseful, in fact.

What music do you like?

I love any music that celebrates the human voice…except Barber Shop! To me they've taken out everything good and left only the bad. I like classical music and pop. Can't say I'm over struck on Rap though. There are one or two Rap songs I quite like…but no, I can't remember what they're called!

What's your favourite food?

Curry. My husband is a brilliant curry cook.

What's your favourite extravagance?

I can't pass a garden-centre without buying a plant, a china shop without buying a dalmation. (Because I used to have one once.) If I go into a toy shop, I'm likely to buy a kaleidoscope…for me.

What was your childhood like?

I had a lot of freedom as a child. I was very lucky. I used to go out with my dog and come back when I was hungry. I loved riding my bike and exploring. I hated hockey and school milk.

How many brothers /sisters did/do you have?

I have no brothers. My father really wanted a boy but he got five girls. (Three of them triplets.) He used to moan about living in a house full of bossy women.

Are your brothers/sisters older or younger than you?

I'm the oldest. I keep telling them that that makes me the wisest, but they don't listen!

What are your hobbies?

Pets take up a lot of my time. I collect china dalmations because I once had a real one. I love Kaleidoscopes because I enjoy their light patterns and I like pretty stones for much the same reason..