Rose Impey (the author of the Sleepover Club) agreed to answer some questions for my blog and this is what she had to say
1) Where are you from?
I was born in Northwich, in Cheshire, where my family still
lives.
2) When and why did you begin writing?
I started writing about thirty years ago. I'd previously
been a primary school teacher but stopped teaching to have my children, two
daughters, Rachel and Charlotte. When
they went to school I'd fully expected to go back to teaching, but a happy
accident with my back prevented that from happening and it was during that
period I decided to have a go at writing. I was lucky enough to have my first
book accepted and I've been writing ever since.
3) Did you always want to be an author?
When I was growing up it wouldn't have entered my head that
it was even a possibility. I was always a great reader but it was only as
an adult, after I had children that I began to entertain the idea.
4) How long each day/week do you dedicate
to writing?
I have a very regular routine: I get up early and go to the
gym or swimming, come back and have breakfast and then start writing. I write most of every day until 5 or 6pm.
5) What do you do when you’re not writing?
I love gardening, sewing, walking, dancing, cinema and
theatre. Socialising is very important when you spend all day every day on your
own!
6) In your spare time what do you like to
read?
I read fiction, often modern American novels. I like
books that make me laugh or cry!
7) And what are you reading at the moment?
Sebastian Barry On Canaans Side. The writing is so good that
has made me cry!
8) When you were younger who were your
favourite author?
When I was growing up we just didn't have the choice there
is nowadays. Mostly we read Enid Blyton and individual books like Little Women,
Heidi... My
absolute favourite was Treasure Island. But I also remember reading Grimms
Fairy Tales over and over again.
9) Other than the Sleepover Club are there
any of your other novels that you would turn into a Movie or T.V. show if so
which one and why?
I really think my novel Six Feet Deep would make a great
single drama, but I'd love to see my Titchywitch stories for young readers made
into a cartoon series.
10) My sister, cousin and I loved the
sleepover club books when we were kids that much that we set up are own
sleepover club we did challenges and had our own SOC book, membership cards and
rules. Since it became really big have many other fans told you that they have
started their own club?
Yes, lots and lots. I probably had more fan mail for
Sleepover than anything else I've written.
One of the most common questions was: How do you know what kind of
things girls do and say to each other when they're on their own? My answer
was: “I have my spies. And I did! I had a few girls who shared all their
secrets with me for which I am very grateful.”
11) What inspired you to write The
Sleepover Club?
The idea actually was one of two or three I offered to my
publishers when they were looking for a commercial series idea for girls of 9+
12) How do you come up with your story
ideas?
I'm not really joking about collecting children's secrets. I
do find going into school and talking to kids gives me all my best ideas.
Things they say and do often triggers off my own memories and then my
imagination starts to work, but I often need the real ideas to act as a catalyst.
13) Are you working on anything new at the
moment if so can you tell us anything about it?
I'm just finishing a new series for very young readers. This
time it's about a little knight called Sir Lancelittle. But later in the autumn I'm hoping to start
a new novel for older readers and no, sorry, can't say anything about that
until I'm really into it.
14) If you could do it over again, is
there anything you would change in any of your books?
Oh, yes, lots. Probably something in every book I’ve
written. You work and work a story until you start to feel you ought to stop
before you completely write all the life out of it. You write until the
point when you feel you can't improve a single word. But then the printed book
arrives and you read it and even on the first page you think: Oh, no, why did I put that, that's rubbish, if only I could
change it, but by then you can't!
15) Out of all your books, which is your
favourite character and why?
I realise now that I've written a variation on the same
character in several of my books: he's a boy of about 10 or 11 who's incredibly
full of himself, totally irrepressible and hugely annoying to be around...
Like Baxter in The Get Rich Quick Club. I love boys like that, they really make
me laugh!
16) When writing about something you don't
know much about where do you get your information?
I'm a bit pathetic when it comes to research. I'm always scared to get it wrong so in the
end I don't do it a lot, I play safe and write about what I know mostly. This is a weakness I'm afraid. When I do any
research I use reference books, Internet, but I prefer to try to find people
who are experts in the field. I like to do as much face-to-face research as I
can.
17) For you what is the easiest part of
the book to write?
THE END! No, seriously, it varies enormously. When it goes
well it all feels easy, but more often than not most of it feels hard.
18) ...And the hardest?
Getting started probably. You've got the ideas but there comes a point when you
have to commit to the screen/page. Even after all this time
I still get anxious before I really get into each book. In fact, I
probably get more anxious the older I get.
19) How do you choose the names for your
books and characters?
Difficult question. They really do mostly come from your
imagination. You
always know when you've got it right because the name really fits, like a good
set of clothes. The worst thing is when you get a name and can't have it
because someone else has used it or similar.
That's very frustrating.
20) Have you ever gotten rid of a character or changed a
character in a book before publishing and then regretted it?
No, I don't think I have. There are lots of things you
regret but they're more likely to be things you left in and shouldn't have than
the other way round.
21) What advice would you give to someone
who "ran out of creativity" while writing?
Take a break. Whenever it happens to me it's because I'm
creatively tired out. Last year I took six months off writing and came back
re-charged. Sometimes as a writer you feel like a battery that's lost its
charge, especially after thirty years!.
22) What do you do when you get writers
block?
See above. But also I go into schools and sit and talk to
kids. That always gives me ideas and, even more importantly, energy.
23) Do you have anything specific that you
want to say to your readers?
Thanks for choosing my books and please, if there's one that
you don't like, try others because I do write lots of different stuff.
And...send
me your secrets!!!!!
Thank you for your time Rose I will be enjoying the Sleepover Club books forever.
