What made you first take up writing?
When I was seven I met Roald Dahl. He did a talk in a local bookshop. I was particularly impressed by the huge ball he’d made out of the shiny bits from the middle of chocolate bars. He wasn’t a massive superstar author back then, but he had a real impact on me, and I decided that if I didn’t make it as a professional footballer, writing children’s books could be a lot of fun.
Were you well mannered or despicably behaved at school?
At primary school I was pretty well behaved. At secondary school, it was a slightly different story. I began to dislike authority – which is a big problem if you’re spending each day in a school! I started to challenge the teachers and be quite argumentative. This resulted in quite a few detentions and visits to the head teacher. I never got into massive trouble but I think that although some teachers liked me, others saw me as a kid with a bit of ‘attitude.’ I’ve never quite lost that suspicion of authority, which was fascinating during my teaching career – as I’d become one of the authority figures!
Who was your favourite teacher?
In Year 3 of Primary School I had an amazing teacher called Mr Leyton. He was a male teacher for a start and I’d never had one of those. He was also really cool; he loved writing and reading but was also the school football team coach AND a black belt in Karate. He had long, curly red hair and was a pretty serious guy, but he could also have a laugh when he wanted. He was absolutely inspirational and I learnt a huge amount that year. I think he gave up teaching to run a karate school, but haven’t heard of him for years.
What was the first book you wrote?
I finished my first book when I was about ten. It was called The Revenge of Caprir and I can’t really remember what it was about – other than there was some sort of battle going on. My dad threw it out by accident and I was absolutely gutted! But even though in forgave him, I didn’t complete another full book ‘til I was in my late twenties.
When did you start approaching children’s publishers?
I first began sending material to children’s publishers in 1996. I was working as a primary school teacher and I was writing at evenings and weekends. The first thing I sent out was called Sticker Time, about a boy who collects…stickers. I got lots of rejections, but one company liked it and it went all the way up to their publishing director. I was so excited! But they turned it down in the end. I sent loads of other stuff out and got hundreds of rejection letters. This was very discouraging but it ever stopped me writing and approaching publishers.
What was the first children’s book you had published?
It was a slim book called Abducted by an Alien, published by a company called Badger Publishing. It came out in 2002. After years of trying I‘d finally had my first book published- it felt good. I’d already had a book published for grown-ups, but I’d been so intent on cracking the children’s book market. The man who bought Abducted by an Alien, is a guy called David Jamieson. He’s an absolutely brilliant bloke and a fantastic publisher – he’s very experienced and has great vision. I’ve been lucky enough to work with him ever since then and I’ve learned a huge amount from him.
How many children’s books have you written?
It stands at over 50 now, but many of these are very slim.
What haven’t you written about that you’d like to cover?
I’m a massive footy fan and I really want to do a football novel. I’ve done about a third of one and am really pleased with it, but there’s still a long way to go. I also love music and would love to do a book that’s set in the music industry/pop star/backstage world.
What’s your advice to someone who wants to become a children’s author?
Number 1 – Read a lot. It really helps to see different people’s style and ideas.
Number 3 – Persevere! The children’s book market is very, very competitive and you have to be prepared to receive lots of rejections.
Number 2 – Find your own ‘voice.’ I know it sounds cheesy, but there’s no point in writing a book, say, in the style of Philip Ardaagh or Anen Fine – they’ve already done it! Publishers look for things that are completely original.
