Tell us about your genre.  How did you come to choose it?  Why does it appeal to you? 

I think writing children’s fantasy found me! I have always believed nothing happens by chance, so it was meant to be. Fantasy was not a genre I read much as a child – maybe there was less about then. Then I enjoyed adventure stories and anything involving horses.

In early 2007, I was a freelance journalist writing profiles of business leaders. For years I had been waiting for a story idea when, at 1.30am on 21st January, the idea for the Sprite Sisters popped into my mind. I noted the words in my diary – ‘four girls with magical powers, east, south, west, north’ – and went to sleep.

For several years I had been studying with an Iroquois shaman, Grandfather Peter Redwolf, who lived here in Norfolk. I learned much from him – particularly about balance and the right use of power. The underlying theme in the Sprite series is balance and the wise use of power. Everything comes back to this. The sisters must find the balance to keep their magic strong – which means they have to work together. They must only use their magic for good or they will lose their power.

When I woke next morning and thought about my idea, I knew it was the one I’d been looking for. I started to play around with it. Everything came together very quickly – as if by magic.

As soon as I got the word ‘sprite’ I realized I could make my characters sisters – I am the eldest of four girls. I liked the alliteration of ‘Sprite Sisters’. By 10am I had Flame (Fire), Marina (Water), Ash (Earth) and Ariel (Air) clearly in my mind. And I had their ‘world’ – Sprite Towers – a home that captured the sense of magic I had experienced at Littlewood House, where I grew up.

Around 11am, I mailed Brenda Gardner at Piccadilly Press. She said she liked the idea and asked for more information. I managed to write a paragraph about my Sprites and their powers – and Brenda took the concept to a sales meeting. A few weeks later I had a contract for the first book, The Circle of Power. Would that selling one’s work was always so easy . . .

Writing Sprites allows me to recreate some aspects of my childhood and bring in some of the knowledge I learned from Grandfather Peter. Fantasy allows me to create my own world. For me it is about recreating Littlewood House, our family home of forty years (photos on my website). This big old house was on the outskirts of a Norfolk village and had twenty acres of grounds. We had fields and woods and garden to play in. That’s a lot of space here in the UK, and, being some time ago, we had a lot more freedom than children do now.

I always knew I would be a writer, but had no idea how I would start. After school I attended art college, then married a fellow student – a cartoonist and illustrator – and for many years we worked together and brought up our children. It was wonderful, but we never had any money!
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In 1990, Chris created a cartoon character called Mad Gadget and I sold it into the first edition of the Daily Telegraph’s Young Telegraph. The cartoon about the crazy boy inventor – based on our son – was the most popular strip on the weekly newspaper and ran for seven years. We tried to develop Mad Gadget for an animated television series – invested everything and nearly got there. Sadly, it didn’t make it and we lost everything – our house, health, each other. Shortly afterwards my parents sold Littlewood House to a developer and it was later burned down.

At that point – in all that loss – life led me towards freelance journalism. There I learned the craft of writing – and it is a craft. I specialized in writing profiles of business leaders and enjoyed it, but somewhere there was a book in me – if only I could find the idea.

On 21st January 2007, I found the idea. I love the idea that we all have magic power if only we could access it. I love to write about adventure – and I know a fair amount about sisters.

Perhaps the Sprite Sister stories are ‘real world’ fantasy.
 
What do you find most challenging about the writing process, and how do you deal with it?

The fog. It’s horrible. When it descends I cannot see where I am going. If I’m at the beginning of a story (as I am now – writing the second Sprite prequel), I have to focus and wait. I trust the idea will come when I am ready to receive it. Sometimes I wait days for the beginning of a book. What shape will it be? What challenge will the sisters face? What is this story about? I have no idea – cannot see it. Where is it . . .

If I’m in the middle of the book and wondering what happens next, I go for a walk. I have to trust. Once I have balanced, I usually find the next bit of the plot comes into my mind. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle: I build the story bit by bit. Often I do not get the resolution until the last few chapters – and I think, ‘Hey, that’s how they’ll do it!’
I find it is much easier to keep up the pace in the plot if the ideas come quickly. However, I have learned to wait. Age brings patience – or is it experience?
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The creative process is wonderful and awful. Sometimes it feels like flying. Sometimes it feels like physical pain. I squeeze the words out one by one.

Where do ideas come from? Why do they form the way they do? I do not know the answer.

When and where do you do your writing?

I sit at my iMac in my office on the second floor of my house and have a clear view of the sky. At twilight, I watch the moon rise. I write at all different times of the day. There is no fixed pattern. I used to start at 10pm and write till 2am, but I cannot do that now. These days the early evenings are a productive time for me, as I seem to be able to focus more easily. It’s as if the day’s clutter is done and I can escape into my Sprite world. Some days, though, it’s the afternoons that I make progress. So – there is no set way for me. I am mercurial, like Ariel.

What have you learned about promoting your books?

That marketing is even more difficult than writing! And, that you have to keep up.

My Sprite Sister series has sold over half a million copies in Germany. When German readers write to me (I always reply), they say the same things as the British readers. They like the books for the same reasons. Because Fischer Verlag has done such a wonderful job of publishing and promoting my books in Germany, I have good sales there.

I would love to be able to reach the same number of British and North American readers as I achieve in Germany.

Hence, the blog tour. I feel I am reaching out and connecting. It’s like magic.

What are you most proud of as a writer?

That I have created a series of – what will be – thirteen books and sold over 500,000 copies. To date, I have written twelve books in nine years. That feels good, considering where I started. When I look at all the Sprite Sister books lined up on the shelf, I feel really proud in a quiet sort of way.

If you could have dinner with any writer, living or dead, who would it be and what would you talk about?
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Jane Austen! We would be witty and bright, discussing people and manners. We would muse on the subject of sisters and family, Mr Darcy and love, being a female author – and how times have changed

Tell us about your genre.  How did you come to choose it?  Why does it appeal to you? 

You would think this would be the easiest question of all, but it's not. I wouldn't say I chose my genre...because my stories CHOOSE me. That being said, though all three of my books have been different, they are all LOVE STORIES.  The Romance genre is a very large tent and I'm happy my stories are at home here. My tag line is: 'Romance may be pretty but love stories are real.' That's the kind of story that appeals to me. Real people, real stuff.

What do you find most challenging about the writing process, and how do you deal with it?

To make sure I'm being historically accurate with details. My stories have spanned from the Edwardian period to the 1920's and most currently the 1960's. I'm a dog with a bone about details and actually love the whole research process.

When and where do you do your writing?

I'm so lucky to have my own writing space. A home office decorated with all my favorite things. With my beautiful Yellow Lab, Elizabeth Bennett by my side, I spend hours at a desk so big it has its own zip code. I have no set schedule for writing. I'll collect dozens of thoughts, words, phrases, and notes in my audio files in between writing sessions. When I can actually sit down at the computer, I'm ready to go.

What have you learned about promoting your books?

That you can never do enough. Ha ha. What I LOVE about the process is all the people I've  been able to connect with, who follow me on my social sites. To have this little relationship with people from all over the country and all over the world...it's humbling.

What are you most proud of as a writer?

That I actually published a book. Do you know how many people talk about writing a book one day? How many people dream about it? I took that dream and nailed it down on paper. I'll be forever proud to say, "I did that."

If you could have dinner with any writer, living or dead, who would it be and what would you talk about?

I'd prefer to have a big dinner party with the table full of interesting guests from all eras, because my tastes are too varied to put into one box. I'm usually reading at least two books at any given time and I go back and forth depending on the mood of the day. But if I were lucky enough to be invited to this fabulous soiree, I'd hope to be seated next to Jane Austen. I wonder if she'd be pleased to know I named my dog Elizabeth Bennett?