It was a combination of an intense interest in children's literature, which I've always had, and the feeling that I'd just have a go and see if I could do it.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I did have a child, and I was reading a lot of picture books to her, but at the same time writing a children's book was something that I'd been wanting to do for many years, pretty much since the start of my career.
My childhood was surrounded by books and writing. From a very early age I was fascinated by storytelling, by the printed word, by language, by ideas. So I would seek them out.
There are hours when I must force the novel out of my mind and be interested in the children.
I have spent a great deal of my time defending my work against those who see it as too complicated, too old in approach, too bleak to qualify as children's literature. This has been the bane of my life.
I was passionate about reading from an early age, and I would always be carrying a different book each week.
As a child, I loved story books and wanted to be in them so desperately and live the stories.
I wanted to become a writer. I enjoyed reading as a child.
I loved to read and would read anything that roused my interest, whether it was below my age level or above it, even if I could barely make sense of it.
Like most kids growing up, I had a very wide interest. I was interested in everything. I tried to take advantage of everything, from the sciences to music to writing to literature.
I resisted children's writing for a long time. I saw myself as a writer of literary fiction. But I had so much more fun writing kids' books.