Because of the Thames I have always loved inland waterways - water in general, water sounds - there's music in water. Brooks babbling, fountains splashing. Weirs, waterfalls; tumbling, gushing.

All I care about really is writing something worthwhile for children, something that will engage them in some way and stimulates in them a sense of wonder.

I think family matters to me enormously. In fact, family is the first priority. If my family is good, I can do anything. If they're not, I'm a basket case.

You never feel lonely if you're writing, because you're living with all these characters in your head.

Behaving like a princess is work. It's not just about looking beautiful or wearing a crown. It's more about how you are inside.

I have always wished I could learn to be a potter. I love collecting ceramics; it would be so fulfilling to create something lovely.

My books have three W's on them, which are "words," "wisdom," and "wonder." Words inevitably lead to wisdom, and wisdom inevitably leads to wonder and awe at this phenomenal world around us.