every day should be a susie day

Wondering where I get my ideas? Curious about my next book? Want to know what I always keep by my desk while writing?  Ask away.

You can comment on this post with your question, or send me an email – and don’t forget to be creative! I’ll answer new questions…um…when I get round to it (?!), and you can read them here.

Question from Bella, MN: I just finished serafina67
and was wondering if you plan on writing any more books?
Hi Bella! *waves* There are 2 answers to this question! One answer is yes, I am (and have!) written more books: you can read about my latest here, and I’ve JUST finished another new standalone title. Second answer is no, I’m not planning to write any more serafina67 books – at the moment. I love that character SO much, so I’d never say never, but I’d have to come up with a plot idea that felt as strong as her original story. And now you’ve got me thinking about it all over again… :D

Question from Sarah, Cincinatti OH: What exactly was “The Incident” in serafina67?
Thanks so much for your letter, Sarah – and you aren’t the only reader who wondered about that! I don’t want to give too much away for those who haven’t read it, but serafina67’s Happiness Deadline is all tied into a mysterious ‘Incident’, and when she finally reveals what it is, it seems a pretty minor moment of rebellion, right? And it is minor, really – but not to her. It’s the first time she really loses control of herself, and thus realises that it’s possible she might not ever feel in control again. I was thinking of the 80s movie The Breakfast Club when I was writing that section: there’s a scene where Allison (Ally Sheedy) opens up about her parents, and you expect a huge revelation about why she’s so dark and sad and aching, and she simply says “They ignore me”. It’s much less than you’re expecting, but that’s why it’s powerful – because actually what she says isn’t insignificant at all.

When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?
I think I was about 7. I was a complete book nerd from an early age, and very, very shy, so it seemed a logical career choice. I think I had this idea I could live in a lighthouse, wearing a floaty white shirt and looking a bit Pre-Raphaelite, and the books would just sort of appear as a result of me being so very writerly. (Part of me still thinks this, which is why I’m a bit rubbish at meeting my deadlines.)

Why do you write for teenagers?
I like writing about teenagers. It’s such a fascinatingly horrible period of your life: you’re enduring this continuous identity crisis, you’re supposed to make all these important life-changing decisions even though you don’t even control what kind of milk you pour on your cereal, and adults want to tell you how very lucky you are all the time. You’re doing lots of things for the first time, which makes things much more likely to go horribly wrong – and Things Going Horribly Wrong is integral to a lot of storytelling.

Why do you keep writing about the internet?

It’s such an integral part of so many teenagers’ lives (not to mention my own), it would be artificial to exclude it, I think. And it lets you tell great stories! An imaginary boyfriend who only exists in your own head? Interesting idea. An imaginary boyfriend who exists online and can talk to your friends, ask them the questions you’re scared to ask, listen to what they really think about you? Too, too tempting – and guaranteed to lead to trouble.

Do you stick to a writing routine?

Tea. Tea. More tea. Tea. Then coffee in the afternoons. It’s basically all about the beverages.

Who are your favourite writers?

I’ve spent an absurd amount of time researching Virginia Woolf, so I have a love/hate relationship with her work: love wins, though. I’ll take the complete Dorothy L. Sayers to my desert island along with Shakespeare, please. Of children’s writers, I’m in awe of Philip Reeve’s invention and Meg Rosoff’s intelligence, and I’d like to put Diana Wynne Jones in a magic box full of paper and pens, so she can keep writing brain-breaky brilliance forever.