Faber & Faber

The author of The Parliament of Blood and the Doctor Who books answers some of our questions ...

Favourite children’s book as a child?

Depends what age, really. I read lots of Enid Blyton mysteries - I preferred the Five find-Outers and Dog (the ones that that are all called 'The Mystery of ...') to the Famous Five, though I read them all.

I moved on from that to Agatha Christie, and Isaac Asimov, and Sherlock Holmes ... Although it was hugely popular when I was a child, there weren't many Doctor Who novels until I was a bit older. Then they were re-tellings of the TV stories. My absoulte favourite was Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks by David Whitaker, from Terry Nation's scripts for the first ever Dalek story. Terrifically exciting and incredibly well written. It's out of print now, sadly, though BBC Audiobooks do an unabridged reading which is fantastic - called, rather more concisely, Doctor Who and the Daleks.
 
Favourite children’s book for all ages?

Ooh, that's difficult. Maybe Treasure Island. Or perhaps Philip Pullman's Clockwork.
 
Which character from a children’s book are you most like?

I really don't know. But if you asked my children, they'd probably say 'Uncle Quentin' from The Famous Five books. I hide away in my study and they don't really understand what I get up to, but it seems to pay the bills. Usually...
 
Did you write as a child?

All the time. Well, maybe not all the time, but lots. Yes. I'm sure it was utter rubbish. If I drew pictures, they were worse!
 
Where do you write?

I can write anywhere, really. I use a laptop and depending on my mood go to different rooms. If I get a bit stuck or find I'm not making progress, then I move to another room and that often makes a difference. I used to work for a big computer company and travel a lot, mainly to the USA. So having an early laptop in the mid 1990s was terrific - I've written chapters of my earlier books in various hotel rooms, bars, airport coffee areas ...
 
Where do you get inspiration for your books from?

Different places for each and every book. There are stories all around us, going on all the time. You just have to spot them - which is something you can practice doing. In fact, I find it difficult not to do it. I'm forever asking myself 'what's happening there? What's the story behind that? Why did do such and such?' And most important to a writer: 'What if ..?'

I can see a bird out of my window just now, and it's perched right on the precarious end of a dead branch of an oak tree in the field behind our house. Why's it there? It's been there for a while. And the only possible reason why it's in exactly that spot and not in the field, that's just been ploughed, grubbing for worms with the others has to be ... that it's watching me through the window. Maybe it's not a bird at all - it's animatronic with powerful camera-eyes and built-in directional microphone. But who sent it? What are they trying to find out? There's a story in there!
 
What’s your proudest moment?

There are so many things in my life I'm proud of. There are the personal things to do with my family - like my older son's recent performance in a school play, or my younger son just getting his Grade 2 piano, or my wife for coping with us boys! My wedding was a (rather than 'the') proudest moment ... Professionally, again, I am quite a positive person so I take pride in all sorts of things - latest publishing contract, or seeing my latest book on the shelf in Waterstone's, or getting a letter from someone who loved one of my books ...
 
What’s your most embarrassing moment?

I embarrass easily too, I'm afraid. So there are many! When I was eight I was in a school tennis tournament. My first match was against the youngest boy in the school (I was the second youngest!) who was seven and absolutely tiny. I was quite tall, and I knew I'd beat him. I reckoned I was quite good at tennis - about the only sport I ever was much good at. I joked with my friends about how easy it would be and who I'd play in the next round ... Well, you can guess what happened. I lost. Big time. Got thrashed. That taught me a very useful lesson about chicken-counting and taking things for granted, as well as being rather embarrassing!

Tell us a joke!

What's red and invisible? No tomatoes.
Want another one? OK. What's square, blue, and has a moustache? A tomato in disguise.

What were you like at school?

Pretty ordinary I think. I was quite funny - always telling jokes and making puns. I got bullied a bit, but not very much. I was in the top set for most things but rarely the very best ... I got in trouble but not very often. And I was probably quite lazy.

What was your favourite subject at school?

English. Or maybe History. 

What was your least favourite subject at school?

I didn't care much for languages. I was OK at French, but rubbish at Latin and German. I liked Latin more because of all the history and myth behind it. I absolutely hated German.

Do you have any pets?

No. Just children.

If you were an animal, what animal would you be?

Something solitary, I think, rather than a pack or herd animal. A bit of an individual but with a family - maybe a tiger. But a nice one.

Favourite colour?

Blue.

Favourite smell?

Apple. Or possibly pizza.

Favourite food?

Pizza. Or possibly apple. Actually, steak au poivre.

Favourite biscuit?

Shortbread.

Favourite music?

Depends on my mood - or what I'm writing.

Favourite film?

There are so many films I love! Action-adventure, or mystery, or spooky ... I guess taken as a series, the Bond films.

Which of the following totally rules?

-- 'Home and Away' or 'Neighbours'? 'Neighbours'

-- 'EastEnders' or 'Coronation Street'? 'EastEnders'

-- 'X-Factor' or 'Strictly Come Dancing'? 'Strictly Come Dancing'

-- 'Richard and Judy' or 'Fern and Phil'? 'Richard & Judy'

-- James Bond or Jason Bourne? James Bond

-- Cake or biscuits? Biscuits

-- Ketchup or mayonnaise? Mayonnaise

-- Christmas or Summer holidays? Christmas