English
Novelist
English Novelist
2
Every life is narrow. Our only escape is not to run away, but to learn to love the people we are and the world in which we find ourselves.
Eighteen or 20 years ago, autism wasn't a term that was even used much at the time.
Children simply don't make the distinction; a book is either good or bad. And some of the books they think are good are very, very bad indeed.
As a kid, I didn't read a great deal of fiction, and I've forgotten most of what I did read.
A picture book is a fiendishly difficult thing to write, let alone illustrate. It took at least 50 drafts and more than two years for me to whittle 50,000 words to a workable 500.
1
Bore children, and they stop reading. There's no room for self-indulgence or showing off or setting the scene.
0
Young readers have to be entertained. No child reads fiction because they think it's going to make them a better person.
I just wanted a good image on that first page.
-1
I knew there was a story; once you find a dog with a fork through it, you know there's a story there.
I felt a great sense of freedom with this book because I felt like I was writing it for me.