11.)    How did you get the idea for Penny?

I was teaching two South American girls English. They were both very good drawers, so I thought I'd write them a story about classroom stationery so they could learn the names of everything and draw the pictures themselves. The story just grew and grew, so I sent it to a publisher.
 

 

12.)    How do you think up the names of the pencils and other writing implements?

Most are a play on the name of the implement, like "Mack" is short for mechanical pencil, some rubbers smudge the paper. Most of the bad guys are just called by their common noun - "Black Texta" is the Australian name for a black marker.
 

 

13.)    Do you have a myspace or Bebo, or any kind of other site where people can find you, other than your official site, like a blog?

No. I don't think my life's really worth blogging about.
 

 

14.)    Can you tell us, or do you even know yourself, will there be more Penny books?

Yes, there will definitely be at least 2 more Penny books. Next year Penny in Space comes out, and the year after that she goes on safari.
 

 

15.)    If there are, can you give us a hint of some of the

(this question got a bit cut off - let me know if you need more detail than in the question above)
We'll have this question fixed on Monday 10th August
 

 

16.)    What’s the funniest thing you ever wrote?

I don't know! I like some of Baron de Couberpen's exclamations in French, like "trembling jellies", which would probably be very funny to a French person as I can't speak French. I wrote a TV news report for an assignment in year 8 at school which I had to read out to the class. It was so funny (or so I thought) that I had to practise it several times so I wouldn't burst out laughing when I read it. Something about a hippo called Humperdink.
 

 

17.)    Has anything that you ever wrote made you cry, or really made you sad?

Yeah. Some emotional scenes - either really happy or really sad - can bring a tear to my eye when I write them (I always hope nobody's looking through the window!).
 

 

18.)    Do you name your pencils and pens, etc.?

Er, no. Except we do have some Pennys around, which we call Penny.
 

 

19.)    Do you type your books or write them longhand?

If I have enough time, I like to write the first draft longhand.
 

 

20.)                        Have you any finished drafts of Penny books that haven’t been published?

Yes (see 14).
 

 

21.)                        Have you any finished drafts of other books, other than Penny?

Quite a few!
 

 

22.)                        How did you get the idea for the pencilympiad?

I worked on the Turin winter Olympics. I had a different job for the Paralympics and had plenty of time to think, so wrote Penny's Pencilympic adventure. I based a lot on the real Olympics - Baron de Couberpen is named after the founder of the modern Olympics, and the Athlete's Oath is an adaptation of the real Olympic Athlete's Oath.
 

 

23.)                        How did the whole thing with Faber Castle come about? Did you contact them yourself about how there’s a free pencil with the Penny books and it has a bit about them on tone of the pages on the inside, or did Mercier Press do that?

That was Mercier Press. A very clever idea of theirs!
 

 

24.)                        How did you find Mercier Press? Did other publishers say no to the books, or did you go to Mercer Press first?

I tried Australian publishers first, but most of them will only accept a book proposal sent by a literary agent. I don't have an agent, so I thought I'd try Ireland (since my Dad's Irish).
 

 

25.)                        Did you ever read a book and say ‘Oh, I wish I had got that idea!’?

Yes. And some movies. And also some songs. Actually, the start of one of the Penny books was very similar to something I saw in a Pixar movie after I'd written the Penny book. Even though I came up with the idea independently, I changed it.
 

 

26.)                        Who’s your favourite adult author?

That depends on my mood. I like some action stuff (Matthew Reilly, Robert Ludlum, Dan Brown) and occasional girly stuff (Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes). Of course, JK Rowling's books appeal to all ages, so she could also be an adult author.
 

 

27.)                        What are you reading at the moment?

Just finished "Snakehead" by Anthony Horowitz, and onto "This Charming Man" by Marian Keyes.
 

 

28.)                        If there was one thing in one of your books that you would like to go back in time and change, what would it be?

Checking the proofs more carefully for typos.
 

 

29.)                        When you get a good idea, do you immediately start writing, or do you think about it lots first?

A bit of both. I don't always have a pen with me.
 

 

30.)                        What do you do when you’re a bit stuck when you’re writing? Do you sit there and try and sort out the problem, go and think about it, or stop writing and start a new book?

Depends on whether I'm on a tight deadline or not. I'm trying to write a book for adults at the moment that I keep getting stuck on, so going away and leaving it is the best strategy there. Not making much progress though...
 

 

31.)                        Do you use a Black Texta?

Only for labeling moving boxes.
 

 

32.)                        Are you going to write Penny only, or are you going to start another series or book when Penny is over?

I'm working on other stuff at the moment. But Penny is the most fun to write!
 

 

33.)                        Would you like your books to be turned into movies, or do you think that they’d be better as books only?

Movies, movies, movies!!!!
 

 

34.)                        Once you are finished writing the first draft of a story, do you write it again, and if so, how many times?

I definitely write it again, which is one of the reasons I do longhand first, so that I'm forced to rethink every word for the second draft. Sometimes I might rewrite a scene or a line of dialogue more than 3 times (including lots of time just sitting there thinking).
 

 

35.)                        When you’re writing your books, do you show people, or keep them entirely to yourself?

I like to keep them to myself while I'm writing the first 2 drafts. But after that I'll generally read it out loud to my husband (you can spot a lot of mistakes reading out loud!), and might even let friends read a draft before sending it off to a publisher.
 

 

36.)                        What are your hobbies, apart from writing?

Anything sporty, especially tennis, cycling and aerobics. I like reading, and watching certain movies or TV programs. And when my little boy is awake I like playing with him.
 

 

37.)                        Do you often get the chance to meet people who are fans of your books, or do you not get to meet them?

I don't get to meet them often, but Mercier have organised some book tours and classes for me to go and visit when I come to Ireland. I like meeting people who read and enjoy my books, as everyone has a different impression of the story, and it's nice to know what appeals to readers.
 

 

38.)                        If you weren’t an author, what do you think would be your job?

I'd be a full-time mum at the moment (which I am - squeezing in writing when I can), but I'd probably be working in IT.
 

 

39.)                        This is a question we ask all people we’re interviewing: If you were at Hogwarts, what house would you be in?

I'd like to say Gryffindor, but I'm just not brave enough. I think I'd get sorted into Ravenclaw.
 

 

40.)                        Do you have any advice for budding authors?

Do lots of writing - even if you think it's crap (am I allowed to say crap?) you can always rewrite it later, or chuck it away if it's really that bad. Even if it's a story about pencils, make sure what you write is believable.