Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in England. My parents read a lot of books from the public library, which I guess rubbed off on me because from the age of seven—the minimum age of membership—I was never without a book to read. Books became an essential part of my life. I was born to be an artist, I love drawing and painting, but somewhere along the way I gave it up; it's hard to be a painter with rambunctious children running around the house. The urge to create pictures survived, however, and now I paint pictures with words.
What do you enjoy most about writing
The joy of creating characters with all the idiosyncrasies and quirks that make them real to me. Building worlds in which they can act and where I can present ideas in an interesting and dramatic way.
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