[image error]  This is a question that I get asked a lot: why kids? Don’t you want to write an adult bestseller?

I find writing to be a form of escapism and there’s no better freedom than writing for children. Anything goes – elephants with beautiful butterfly wings for ears; magical powers that allow extraordinary happenings; or a demon with only one thing on its mind – who’s next? (See ‘Demon Match’ Book 1 of the Seas trilogy: to be released in December 2017)…

No idea is too far fetched. When it comes to writing for children, I find that I can easily tap into their mind set. Having taught them for nearly 18 years (no way has it been that long!), I know which novels spark their creative curiosity and I have tried to keep that magical spark aflame. What I enjoy most is grounding the book in the NOW with current trends, technology (always careful not to be too specific as this can really make a book outdated too soon) and a sense of the real world, then I wave goodbye to the humdrum and take the reader on a fantastic and furious ride away from the safe anchor. I also use my experience as a teacher, my stories often involve schools as I feel comfortable writing about them and being accurate about what it is like for our children who go to them. Write about what you know, right?

What is especially fun, is the research I have to do when I’m embarking on a new idea. In the past, I’ve explored the paranormal (I have a modern Ghostbuster style novel on the back burner) and also Victorian chimney sweeps for ‘Whispers in the Attic’. However, right now, I’ve been scaring myself senseless by studying various demon varieties and what they are all ‘capable’ of. I settled on a harvest demon for my latest novel, ‘Demon Match’ as I liked the idea of these monsters that collected human souls. I started to think about how they would choose them, how they would keep them and most interestingly, how they would coax them to do their bidding. The main character in my latest novel begins life as a top student but when he encounters the demon, his grades start to slip, he acts uncharacteristically and lands himself in a whole lot of trouble! Poor Joel…

So, to answer that question. For me there is no other option, I am and will always be driven to write children’s fiction and young adult fiction. It’s all about the imagination and possibility!