Brune Park School Visit

I had a wonderful welcome from the pupils in year 8 at Brune Park School yesterday. One student had a special interest in Norse Mythology and another had already designed her own mythical creature for a Games Quest series. I was also delighted to find that most of the children liked writing poetry – another one of my favourite hobbies.

The pupils were really enthusiastic and especially interested in how I did my research. Although a great deal of my research is done online and by reading, the fun part is going to visit places for real – it gives that extra authenticity. Places I have visited so far are Camberley, Anglesey, London, the IOW, and the Lake District for books one and two, and Norway and Iceland for book three, The Last Idesa.

The students wanted to know about the writing process – how did I write? Did I plan everything before I started or did I write ‘organically’? I explained that everyone is different and everyone finds their own method. Nothing is right or wrong, and, the only way to learn how to become a writer is to write.

I was asked how I first became interested in writing. I said that I had always loved drawing as much as writing so my first attempts were therefore comic strips. Comics and cartoons are a really fun way of getting into writing – Stardust, the award winning novel, and blockbuster film, was originally written as a comic for DC comics. All my books are illustrated.  

Thank you all for a very enjoyable visit, and happy reading. I hope you continue to enjoy The Company of Goblins!