Here are some of the questions I get asked by young readers. Adults sometimes ask them too!
Where do you get your ideas?
They come from almost anywhere – from past experiences, from things I’ve seen, heard or read, and from other people. When I first started as a writer I was advised to keep a notebook for ideas, but it turned out to be of little use so I gave it up. Nowadays I plan my books more carefully than I used to, from research I’ve gathered. Plots and characters often emerge from background reading.
Who are your favourite authors?
There are so many! As a child I read Enid Blyton, the Just William stories and the Biggles books among many others. I liked adventure tales like The Coral Island and The Treasure of the Incas. As a teenager I read science fiction by American masters like Ray Bradbury and Robert Heinlein, and also the scary stories of H.P. Lovecraft.
Among my favourite living authors are Alan Bennett and Julian Barnes. I also read historical fiction by people like Tracy Chevalier and Rose Tremain, and quite a lot of biographies. Among the many children’s writers I like are Michael Morpurgo, Geraldine McCaughrean and Eoin Colfer.
What is your writing room like?It’s a converted back bedroom with a desk, computer, filing cabinet and bookshelves and various pictures on the walls. I’ve covered one wall with cork so that I can pin up maps, illustrations, cuttings and anything else that helps me with the work I’m engaged on. All authors have their preferred ways of working: Roald Dahl used to sit in an armchair and write longhand in exercise books, on a sort of drawing board across his knees. And Edgar Allan Poe, the American writer of mysteries and creepy tales, often wrote with his Siamese cat perched on his shoulder!
What inspires you to write?
It’s my job and I try to treat it as such, working office hours to finish the next book for the publisher. But of course it isn’t quite like any other job. Writing may be the only profession where a head cluttered with random information is useful, and where staring out of the window may be part of the working process!
Once I’ve started on a book I try to get into a steady flow. I sit down each day, look over what I wrote yesterday and go from there quite quickly. I usually know what’s going to happen next, though I don’t always know how the book will end.
I forget which author it was who said: ‘I write when I’m inspired, and I see to it that I’m inspired every morning when I sit down at my desk!’
How do you research your books?
There are several ways. I do a lot of background reading, and also check things out on the Internet. It’s useful for general information, but less so for in-depth historical research. I like maps, and I need to know the topography of where a book is set, the lay-out of the streets, countryside and so on. I build up a file of notes, pictures, character sketches and timelines from which the plot gradually takes shape.
It’s also important, if you write historical fiction, to visit actual locations like country houses, and to handle real objects if possible. When I worked on the Thomas the Falconer series I spent time visiting old villages, Tudor houses, churches and museums gathering ideas and impressions. I had to do research on falconry too, which included going on a course and handling birds of prey myself. That was one of my most interesting experiences. Another was having a private tour of the wonderful Magic Circle Museum in London, and meeting famous magicians.
Why do you write about Tudor times?
I don’t only write about that period. I’m interested in others too, like the Victorian era – and even the present day! But I am fascinated by the sixteenth century, one of the most exciting times in English history. It’s the start of what historians call the Early Modern Period, in which so much happened that we now understand better – the beginning of the British Empire, for one thing.
I’m not a trained historian – I came to the Elizabethans through their Drama and Literature: the plays of Shakespeare and others, and the wonderful poetry. I love the richness of the language, the humour and the wit, and soon became interested in the social background too, especially the theatre.
What made you choose a boy actor for a hero?When I studied Elizabethan theatre I was bowled over by the boy actors. Every theatrical company had them, because there were no actresses then - all the female roles, including leading ones like Cleopatra and Lady Macbeth, were played by boys, mostly around 12-16 years old. They must have been very clever and talented, as well as being brave enough to go out onto a huge stage in front of thousands of people. When I began writing children’s books I knew my first hero would be a plucky, inquisitive boy actor who can’t resist delving into a mystery.
Have you been on any really big adventures?
It depends what you call an adventure! I have travelled to quite a few countries, but not had any real hardships. Some things I remember vividly are:
Seeing the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid in Egypt, and being able to touch the same stones that the ancient Egyptians touched.
Travelling in the Swiss Alps, and gazing across gleaming-white snow at the Matterhorn, one of the highest mountains in Europe.
Visiting the Palace of Knossos in Crete, where a mythical monster called the Minotaur was said to have lurked.
Going underground into the caves at Lascaux in France, where there are fantastic paintings made by early humans.
But isn’t life the biggest adventure of all?
Who was your favourite teacher at school?
There were several who encouraged me to write - I was good at essays. But I especially remember a teacher at grammar school, Mr Clough, who got me through Latin O level (like today’s GCSE). He never raised his voice, but everyone was well-behaved in his classes because he made the subject so interesting.
Are you the same John Pilkington who’s an explorer and broadcaster, and writes travel books?
No I’m not, and anyone who saw us both together could never get us mixed up! But I can happily recommend John’s books, even though we’re not related.
Are there any real-life people who have inspired you?
Yes – many. The list of authors would be long, and would certainly include William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, George Eliot, James Joyce, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Jack Kerouac, Arthur Miller, Charlotte Bronte, Daniel Defoe, Oscar Wilde and Lewis Carroll.
Apart from authors, other people I find inspirational are: Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Aung San Su Kyi. And I have a lot of respect for the great Native American leaders of the 19th century, like Cochise, Sitting Bull and Chief Joseph. They’re well worth finding out about.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to be a writer?
If I’m honest, I should say there’s very little advice anyone can give. But you must be honest with yourself: do you merely want to ‘be a writer’, or do you want to write? If you want to write you will do so anyway.
In Victorian times there was a book called The Young Visiters, which was written by Daisy Ashford when she was 9 years old (though it was not published until later, when she was in her twenties). It’s still in print and has been made into a film. Most authors start writing later in life, but it doesn’t really matter when. What matters is that you work hard at it. Don’t let anyone put you off: read a lot, listen a lot and write as much as you can, about anything that interests you. In time you will find the sort of writing that suits you best – stories, plays, novels, poetry or whatever it might be – and you should concentrate on that. Later on you can join a Writers’ Circle if you like – the local library will probably have details of those in your area. And nowadays there is a lot of help for aspiring writers on the Internet too.
Good luck!