Q: Do you believe in selkies?
A: Absolutely. In Scotland, anything could be happening outside in the dark while you're huddled by the fire, listening to the winds rattle the windows. If you were on the beach late on a misty night, with the cold air fingering your skin, who knows who you might glimpse creeping down to the sea?
I'm not sure that will ever happen though. Not because selkies don't exist, but because their instinct to keep their secret is stronger than anybody else's wish to see them.
Q: Would you like to be a selkie?
A: Remember that person, huddled by the fire? That's me! That's not to say I wouldn't like to be a selkie. I just might have to take a hot water bottle and about ten fleeces down to the beach with me to handle the whole getting in and out of the water thing. I think the sea around Scotland is freezing, but, then, I'm a notorious weakling.
Q:What made you decide to be a writer?
A: I don't think I ever really made a decision. I used to write stories when I was at school, but once I started writing for a living (copywriting for advertising agencies - writing headlines, brochures and that kind of thing) I seemed to lose the will to write fiction. It was only when I stopped working for a while that the inside of my head started to itch with ideas. Trust me, this is a very uncomfortable feeling and it drove me to start writing fiction again. I started with some short stories, some of which were published in womens' magazines, and then I got this crazy idea about writing a novel. That first novel really was crazy, but the second was 'Sealsong'.
Q: Why do you write young adult novels?
A: The time when reading was most magical to me was when I was a teenager; before reading got serious and turned into 'literature', which was something to study rather than simply just to enjoy. That was the time when I started to hear the real world knocking gently at my door with all the pressure of exams, friends, boys, the imminent 'need to earn a living'. That knock got louder and louder and only the joy of reading could silence it for a while. That was the time when a good book could be a whole world to me, filled with possibilities, most of which seemed better than the things that actually awaited me - none of which turned out to be that bad in the end, but, still, it was nice to use book-magic to put them off for a while.
I still love reading young adult novels, and I love writing them too. The magic is still there for me and I hope I can bring some of it to anyone who reads Sealsong, or any of my other novels.
Q: Where do you get your ideas from?
A: Bizarrely, I only have ideas when I'm not trying to have ideas! What's more, they're unpredictable. I can go for weeks with an empty head; then abruptly it will fill up with ideas that seem to have come from nowhere. Often this happens at times when my mind is at rest, like when I'm zoning out in the shower, sitting in a car or a train or taking a long walk along the beach.
Sometimes these ideas just drift away. If I feel that happening, I don't force myself to grab the drifters, because I figure it's the ones that stay in my head that really matter. The ones that won't go away. I don't write anything down until an idea starts to bite at the inside of my head, which the strong ones will do after a time. That hurts. Then I have to start writing. Then I know I have a story.
Q: I want to be a writer. What should I do?
A: This is going to sound blindingly obvious, but to start with, just write. Write stories, keep a diary, tinker around with poetry, have fun with words and find out what inspires you. Writing is a lonely business, unless, like me, you're happy spending time with your characters (yes, I really am that sad). For support and to learn more about your craft, check out some writing websites and blogs - there are heaps of great places. I've included some of my favourites on my links page
Do you have a question for me? Contact me here and I will update this page soon.