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Jill Murphy

Jill Murphy was born in London in 1949. From a very early age she was drawing and writing stories, and was already putting books together (literally, with a stapler) by the time she was six. She went on to study at Chelsea, Croydon and Camberwell Schools of Art. Jill worked in a children’s home for four years and as a nanny for a year, before becoming a freelance writer and illustrator. The Worst Witch stories, of which this is the first, are some of Puffin’s most outstandingly successful titles. Jill lives in London with her son, Charlie.

PLACE AND DATE OF BIRTH:
5 July 1949, London

FAVOURITE SUBJECT AT SCHOOL:
English

FAVOURITE COLOUR:
Green

FAVOURITE FOOD:
Sausages, chips and beans!

FAVOURITE SMELL:
Roses, Honeysuckle

HOBBIES:
Reading, Swimming

When did you start writing?
I have always drawn since I can remember, and written stories from an early age (four to be exact).

Why did you decide to write children's books?
I still feel more comfortable in the company of children, so it's natural I should write something about things they appreciate.

Where did the story The Worst Witch come from?
It was completely based on our school, down to the uniforms, except for the witch's hat, and I turned the bike shed into a broom shed.

I wanted to write about girls who were misfits, like I was, with unfashionably long, dark, straggly hair, and a heroine who was as hopeless as I was but for whom it came out all right in the end.

I get tremendous satisfaction from people liking Mildred because it's like liking me.

Will there be any more Worst Witch stories?
I'd love there to be lots more, but I'd like to wait until I have a really good idea, and Mildred can't be at school forever!

What was the first book you ever had published?
The Worst Witch. I wrote The Worst Witch when I was 18. I was convinced it was a good story and it was published six years later.

What are your favourite children¹s books written by another author?
The Sword in the Stone and Mistress Masham's Repose both by T H White

And finally one very important question...
If you could travel back in time what period would you travel to?
To the dinosaur age with my son Charlie so that we could see what they really looked like! (With a special escape button so that we could escape fast if we met a tyrannosaurus rex!)