A children's author on a soapbox is not a pleasant sight but I have become drawn into issues, slightly unwillingly, relating to young people, literacy and youth justice: just look at the number of young people we have locked up in prison, and the uselessness of it.

I'm not a huge fan of prequels and sequels and the cynical rush to make money on the back of books by other writers who are now dead.

As a children's author, reviewers are generally very nice to you. I only ever wrote one adult book and received such a kicking for it that I was in trauma for the next six months.

It's hard to write when you think every sentence is going to be read by a million kids.

I moved all the time as part of a military family, and I just really did not have very many friends. I remember having these feelings of walking into a room and feeling that nobody likes me, or thinking, 'I'm going to have to sit alone at lunch again.'

I went to Catholic school throughout my whole academic life. In fact, my children - my husband and I and our children in my own family now have over 100 years of Catholic education among us.

The suburbs are the American dream, right? Living in a nice house, having a good job, a happy family.

My family's support system is fantastic.