EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW….
Wednesday 22nd August 2007
Reader Naomi Smith met and interviewed me at the recent Edinburgh Book Festival… find out what we talked about and ask some nosy questions of your own!
Naomi: You’re a really big author now, but if your books had never been published, what would you be doing?
Cathy: Teaching art, writing short stories, being an agony aunt and bringing up my kids in the Scottish countryside. I’d be dreaming of making it as a children’s author, though!
Naomi: Who is your fave character from the books and why?
Cathy: Mouse, definitely. I loved him in Dizzy, so lost and alone, and was determined to give him a happy ending in Lucky Star. I loved writing about Mouse and his talent for trouble… the world needs more boys like Mouse!
Naomi: What has been your worst job ever?
Cathy: Shredding up roast chickens in a BHS cafe to make chicken sandwiches when I was a teenager. I was a veggie – not good. I was also a spectacularly bad waitress….
Naomi: If you had a magical power, what would it be and why?
Cathy: I’d like to grant wishes… or maybe fly!
Naomi: What was your most embarrassing moment?
Cathy: Getting my swishy skirt trapped in the toilet door on the flight to Sri Lanka this spring. I was stuck, blocking the aisle, and the stewardesses couldn’t get the trolley past me… the whole plane was smirking. When the door opened again and I was released, there was a round of applause, but by then I was too embarrassed to go to the loo anyway!
Naomi: You’ve said you are quite a shy person, how do you overcome that to talk in front of loads at people, like at the Edinburgh Book Festival?
Cathy: I am shy, and I get REALLY nervous, but I’ve learnt that I can survive – and often people don’t even notice that I’m nervous! Shyness is a pain, but never, ever let it beat you… go for it!
Naomi: What’s the best thing about being an author?
Cathy: It’s a dream come true for me, and I get a real buzz from seeing my books in a shop, but the best thing ever is getting feedback from my readers and knowing that they love the stories as much as I love writing them.
OK, your turn now… if you’ve got a question for me, post it below… I’ll answer the best online!
Hi Sally! Cat isn’t based on a real person, but I had fun creating a cool, confident character who seemed the exact opposite of Mouse… but who was just as messed-up, inside. Cat & Mouse help each other through some tough times… glad you like them!
Cathy xxx
i really want to be an author but when i think of a storyline i’m doing something and when i want to write i can’t think. where do you get your inspiration? and do you plan your stories out before you write them?
Hi Sophie… I get ideas from all around me – things I see, hear, read, remember, imagine… all of that! Then I daydream, and sometimes the ideas turn into a story! It’s hard to find time to dream up a story sometimes, but you can do it. All my stories are planned in my head, as daydreams, never on paper…
Cathy xxx
dear cathy, hi… when you make the names of your characters are any of them nicknames for your own friends???
Millie
Hi Millie! I do sometimes use the names of friends or family in a story, usually to make them smile! I am always on the lookout for cool names, either from the website or from readers I meet at booksignings… I have endless notebooks filled with readers names to inspire me!
Cathy xxx
hey Cathy, I love your books and have read all the ones that are out. I just want to know….will these wonderful books ever stop?? how can you make every story amazing?? how can i improve on my story writing?? when i write a story they normally start good but end really bad. how can i keep up the good?? the first story i wrote got me an A++ but i cant help thinking i can do better. xxx Sparky xxx
Practice is the way to improve your stories… keep dreaming and writing!!! Why not enter my Song Title Writing Comp? Go to the You page on the website and click Writer’s Workshop for all the details… plus my top tips for young writers.
Cathy xxx
what will Gingersnaps be about? I think Lucky Star is the best book so far!
Gingersnaps is top secret for now… once I’ve finished the story, I’ll let everyone know a little bit more about it, but right now I’m still busy writing! Glad you liked Lucky Star!
Cathy xxx
you said that you were a veggie when you were a tenager. How long were you one or r u still one?