What are your favourite children’s books and why?
I like Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials and Fungus the Bogeyman by Raymond Briggs, because they’re totally different from the sort of thing I write.
Who are your favourite children’s authors and why?
Anne Fine, because she makes ordinary things weird; Michael Rosen — I like rude rhymes (Quentin Blake also).
Who or what was your biggest influence in deciding to become a writer?
Nobody — I just couldn’t do anything else
What inspired you to write your latest book?
I love writing about teenage traumas, because nobody who’s ever been a teenager can forget it, no matter how hard they try.
What’s the best thing you’ve ever written?
Who knows? Don’t like to boast but I did do a cool shopping list in 2008.
Is there any particular ritual involved in your writing process?
I write best alone in crowded, public places: on trains, in cafes, at the hairdresser’s etc.
What is your favourite colour?
I can’t decide — how about tartan?
What is your favourite food and worst?
Best food: Aubergines — So, so elegant, almost patent leather. Worst: anything involving intestines: kidneys, liver… ugh, `scuse me...
What was your favourite subject at school?
Enjoyed Art most, because it was a rest from words. Hated Maths, and Physics, because smelly.
What is your favourite film?
Some Like it Hot
What music do you like?
Monteverdi, Mozart, Lily Allen, but most of all reggae, calypso and rap.
If you hadn’t been an author, what would you have been?
A gangster, obviously.
How long does it take you to write a book?
Sometimes six weeks, sometimes a year.
How long have you been writing books?
I wrote my first ‘book’ aged seven. It was called Janet’s Island. The film rights are still available. But proper published books, for about 25 years. (So Old!!!)
Where do you get your ideas from?
I listen to other people’s conversations on the bus. So watch out!