It is something I enjoy doing and just seeing kid’s reading my books gives me a great deal of pleasure.
How do you know your book is finished? How do you stop adding and changing words?
I have tried to keep the length of the books the same. This way the story is well suited as a bedtime story without being too long.
How hard is it to think of new ideas
New ideas are probably the easiest things about writing the books. I speak to so many parents, teachers and kids everyone seems to come up with a new book title for me.
Who is your favourite character?
Dad has to be my favourite character in the book because sometimes he doesn’t quite get things totally right.
If you were not an author what would you have been?
I don’t actually consider myself an author even though I write books. I am a farmer and no different from anyone else. I just enjoy writing books for kids.
Where do you write?
I write at the dining room table or just sitting up in bed. Sometimes I will get an idea while I am in the tractor and keep reminding myself all day to get it written down.
What was your favourite book as a child?
All I ever read as a child were books on hunting fishing and car racing. I wasn’t interested in much else.
How do you come up with character names?
The character names in my books are the names of my eldest daughter and son. My illustrator simply drew the pictures and I said “that looks good” and that’s how they came about.
Did you like writing as a kid?
As a kid I never liked writing much. As for drawing I was terrible and today I am no better.
Can you make a lot of money from writing or do you need another job too?
I am sure some famous people do make a lot of money from writing but I will never be rich or famous anywhere but in my house.
When did you start illustrating or writing?
I started writing in 2014 and it’s taken a long time and many setbacks to get this far.
Do you have any exciting projects planned for the future?
Just to write more books.
What do you do in your spare time?
I work on our farm. I enjoy fishing and playing golf and sometimes I get to go hunting.