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Kay Woodward

Kay Woodward has written many bestselling books, including Robot Wars: The Ultimate Guide, The Big Jungle Hunt, Hooray for Piglet, Happy Feet, the Flower Fairies series and The Dahlmanac.

Kay lives near the New Forest, Hampshire.

NAME:
Kay Woodward

PLACE & DATE OF BIRTH:
Barrow-in-Furness, 8 November 1969

FAVOURITE BOOK:
Jane Eyre

FAVOURITE SONG:
‘We have all the time in the world’ by Louis Armstrong

FAVOURITE FILM:
It’s a Wonderful Life – I watch it every single Christmas, without fail. Sometimes twice. And if my husband, a relative, a friend or even a passer-by is within reach, I make them watch it too.

MOST TREASURED POSSESSION:
Does 21 shelves, 10 boxes and a loft full of books count as one thing…?

When did you start writing?
While I was living in Ireland in 2001.

Where do you get your ideas and inspiration from?
Eeek… from things that have happened to me or to people I know? Or after frowning at my computer. Or after a walk along the seafront in Hove.

Can you give your top 3 tips to becoming a successful author
1. Read lots and lots of books.

2. Just pick up a pen or crank up a computer and have a go!

3. Stop writing when you’ve got a little bit left to write. Then, when you come back to your story, you won’t have to sit chewing your pen for hours – you’ll be able to start straight away! (This is what famous author Ernest Hemingway and the amazing Roald Dahl did.)

Favourite memory
Sitting round a bonfire of old window frames on the beach in Cumbria, eating sausage sandwiches.

Favourite place in the world and why?
The Dingle Peninsula in south-west Ireland. It’s wild and rugged and stunning, even in the rain. And when it’s sunny, the greens and blues all around are simply dazzling.

What are your hobbies?
I like reading, meeting up with friends and attempting to follow posh recipes in cookbooks. And eating chocolate!

If you hadn’t been a writer what do you think you would have been?
I might have been a librarian (I worked in Carlisle library and LOVED stamping books) or an actress (I once played an Ugly Sister in a school play) or an accountant (I like sums, but not enough to do it all the time…).