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Where
were you born?
Bath, Somerset - but I've lived in Kingston in Surrey
since I was Three.
How old are you?
Older than your mum but maybe not as old as your granny.
What
sort of family do you have?
I have one lovely grown-up daughter, Emma (and a fiercely
independent old mum who lives 1O minutes away). I don't
have any brothers or sisters, Though I have always longed
to be part of a big family.
What sort of house do you live in?
I live in a tiny terraced house crammed to the ceilings
with 10,000 books. I've got hundreds of pictures covering
the walls, witch dolls hanging in odd corners, a life-size
fashion model in my bedroom, a herd of ornamental elephants
on my window sill and a large family of teddy bears has
taken over The sofa.
Do
you have any pets?
I don't have any pets because I travel around so much
and it wouldn't be fair. One day I hope to have a small
dog, a Yorkshire Terrier' or a miniature poodle.
What
are your hobbies?
I like reading, going to Art galleries and films, swimming
(50 lengths in my local pool before breakfast every morning)
arid Line Dancing.
What
do you look like?
I'm small and skinny with very short spiky hair and
silver glasses. I nearly always wear black and I have a
big ring on every finger.
What's your favourite food?
I like fruit most. I also like cakes and chips and ice-cream
(but not altogether).
What's your favourite TV programme?
I don't watch television very much but I like E.R. and
Friends, and South Park sometimes makes me giggle.
When is your birthday?
17th December, which is a pity as it's so near Christmas.
What sort of music do you like?
All sorts - especially Queen and the late lamented Freddie
Mercury.
What's
your favourite film?
An old black and white movie called Mandy about a little
girl who couldn't hear.
What's your favourite colour?
Black and silver.
What's
your favourite animal?
A lemur.
What
was your favourite subject at school?
I liked English and Art.
What
was your worst subject at school?
I hated Maths and I was useless at P.E.
Which
school did you go to?
Latchmere Primary School and Coombe Girls Secondary School.
Did
you have any other job apart from writing?
I was a journalist in my late teens. The girls' magazine
Jackie was named after me!
Did
you always want to be a writer?
Yes, from The age of six I was always making up stories.
Who
was your best friend at school?
A girl called Chris. We're still friends.
Who
was your first boyfriend?
He was called Alan and he had fair hair. He wrote me
my first love letter.
Were you ever married?
I was married to a man called Millar, but we're separated
now.
How many books have you had published?
About 70? I've lost count!
Which is your favourite out of all your books?
I can never make up my mind. Maybe The
IlIustrated Mum.
Which
book has won the most awards?
I Think it's probably Double
Act. It won The Smarties Prize, The Children's
book of The Year Award and the Sheffield Book Of The Year.
Have
any of your books been made into a TV series?
Cliffhanger
has been on schools television.
Some of my other books might be television serials soon.
Have
any of your books been staged?
The
Lottie Project was on at The Polka Theatre in Wimbledon.
I loved it.
I saw The play Three times!
Where do you get your ideas from?
I don't know. They just seem to pop into my head.
Who
is your favourite character in your books?
I'm very fond of Tracy Beaker even though she's totally
outrageous.
Do
you base your characters on real people?
No, it's much more fun making them all up. I wish some
of them were real though. I'd love to meet Elsa from The
Bed and Breakfast Star - she's such a kind, cheerful
girl.
Are
your books always illustrated by Nick Sharratt?
Nearly always. I absolutely love Nick's pictures. I'm
very pleased and proud that we work together.
Why
are there two illustrators for Double Act?
Because Ruby and Garnet are meant to have done the pictures
themselves. Nick drew all the Ruby illustrations and Nick's
friend, Sue Heap, drew Garnet. They both look great. It's
hard telling them apart.
Which was your favourite book when you were a child?
I loved an American book called Nancy and Plum by betty
MacDonald about two sisters who run away from an orphanage.
I also liked Noel Streatfield's stories (especially BalIet
Shoes) and Little Women and What Katy Did.
What are your favourite books now?
I love Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, The Bell Jar by
Sylvia Plath and Katherine Mansfield's short stories.
My favourite children's book now is Where
The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.
Do you know any other children's writers?
Heaps! My special friends are Jean Ure, Adèle Geras
and Ann Jungman.
Have you ever written for adults?
I've written five crime novels - but they all had children
in them.
Why do you always write about girls?
I do sometimes write about boys. Cliffhanger
and Buried
Alive are about Tim and his best friend Biscuits.
Do you ever write about teenagers?
I've written Three books about girls in year nine, Girls
in Love, Girls
Under Pressure and Girls
Out Late and Vicky
Angel.
Do
you have a fan club?
No, I try to write to everyone myself.
How
long does it take you to write a book?
Between three and six months.
Where
do you write?
I write in notebooks in my study or at the kitchen table
or on trains travelling to schools - anywhere! I can't use
a computer. I have to type my stories out on a little old-fashioned
typewriter. I always have my lucky mascot rabbit
Radish close at hand when I'm writing.
What
did it feel like to see your first book in the shops?
It felt absolutely fantastic.
Do you meet lots of children?
I meet lots and lots of children. Each week I talk in
schools or libraries and I often do signing sessions in
bookshops on Saturdays.
Do
you travel all over the country?
Yes, I zoom up and down Great Britain. I've even been
lucky enough to do book tours in Australia and New Zealand.
Do you get lots of letters from fans?
I get at least 200 a week. It's great that so many children
want to write to me but it's hard work replying to everyone.
What's been your most embarrassing moment?
Falling flat on my face at my first dance!
What's
your proudest moment?
Holding my new baby daughter in my arms.
Have
you got any special ambitions?
I'd like to write 100 books - and be on a Line Dancing
team!
If
you could have one wish for the 21st century what would
it be?
That people still make up stories.
What's it like being a famous writer?
I'm just a little bit rich (so I can buy lots of rings
and books) and just a little bit famous (so that children
recognise me occasionally and ask for my autograph) but
it's WONDERFUL being a writer.
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