(with thanks to Banana Girl)
What is your favourite animal? I have a very soft spot for Arctic wolves. Their coats change colour with the seasons and the females are ferocious hunters. The book I am writing at the moment is about a girl who miraculously finds a white wolf in a world where wolves have become extinct.
If you were a super hero, what would your superpower be? The ability to talk to animals would be cool. I’d like to know what squirrels think of us.
Do you have a favourite food? I can eat fudge until I’m practically sick. That’s the whole point of fudge, isn’t it? Also, fresh, crusty white bread, butter and some proper cheddar cheese.
What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? I once had a Saturday job in a clothes shop, cleaning up after the owner’s incontinent dog. It was quite a posh shop, but behind the scenes it was grim!
When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? For years and years, I wanted to be a marine biologist. I’ve always been fascinated by watery places and the creatures that live there. Later, as a teenager, I wrote and drew comics with my friends, so for ages I wanted to be an illustrator or an artist. It wasn’t until I was all grown up that I realised what I really loved was writing stories.
If you could invite anyone in the world to a dinner party, who would you invite? Hermione Granger, Lyra Belacqua, David Attenborough, Seamus Heaney, Neil Gaiman, Queen Elizabeth I and of course, Han Solo.