Words Words Words

I love words. I love the things you can make out of them - stories, songs, worlds.

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I have written quite a few books and more than a few songs (songs are shorter).

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I went to school in the UK in the seventies and eighties, which means I was never taught anything about grammar, but I did have time to read hundreds and hundreds of books. I am now a teacher though, and in my 21 years of teaching I have managed to work most of it out. Writing books helped too - and getting feedback on them from other writers. Now I know exactly what a comma splice is and how to use a semi-colon correctly. I even teach other teachers how to teach writing (and reading).

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I have written some different kinds of books including fantasy, contemporary and historical, most of them are for children, young adults or the kind of grown-ups who never grew up. I love fairy tales and traditional stories.

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I lived on council estates when I was a kid, in a single parent family - free school dinners and all that - and now I teach the same kind of kids. As a result all my books feature themes of social inequality, diversity and the power of small people to achieve big things if they put their minds to it.