I have a very clever older brother called Neil. When I was young, everything he did, I wanted to do. So when, at 14, he had a book published, that became a great ambition of mine. I was also very shy and timid. (I still am.) The one place I dared to have adventures was in my imagination, writing stories. Dad was a fireman, Mum was a teacher. We did not have television at home until I was 9, so you can imagine how exciting it was when we got one.

 

As I grew up, I went on writing - always and everywhere - never really expecting to get published. I did a lot of jobs - secretary, teacher, journalist, sub-editor. But I wrote as I travelled to and fro to work: it was my hobby. Now I stay home all day and write. It's great, but it still seems odd to earn a living by having so much fun.

 

Sometimes I go into nearby schools to talk about being a writer and play story-making games, and, of course, to find out what the really important people - the readers - are thinking.

 

I have written more than hundred and seventy books, mostly for children, some for adults; also a play for radio about trawlers sinking and sixty plus plays; (I love drama). Maybe you'd like to act some of them. Nowadays, I have a grown-up actress daughter, Ailsa, to read my stories, a husband, John, to check my stories and (until very recently) a Golden Retriever, Daisy, to eat my stories. Sadly Daisy is no longer with us- so I shall have to put her in a book so I can keep on spending time with her!

 

To see all my books at a glance, you can visit Fantastic Fiction or Lovereading 4 Kids