About The Author - Sarah Lucas
Where were you born?
Pudsey, West Yorkshire
Where do you live?
In a little hamlet near Alton, Hampshire
Where did you go to school?
Featherbank Junior School, Horsforth near Leeds and Prince Henry’s Grammar School, Otley, West Yorkshire
Do you have any children?
Two. Amy who’s twelve and George who’s six
Have you any pets?
One large African Land Snail - Old McSlithers and three other adults and a hundred baby snails, tropical fish, goldfish, two guinea pigs, four rabbits and lots of house spiders
What jobs have you had?
To earn some money before I went to University I had a Saturday job selling bread and cakes in Otley. Break times were wonderful – we were always allowed to have something with our tea. I studied languages so I lived near Paris, France and Parma in Italy, both times working as an au-pair. I’ve also worked on a French farm whilst a student.
When I left University I worked in London for a large accountancy firm, then got into marketing for solicitors and that’s the job I did for over twenty years. I set up my own marketing firm so I could juggle family life around work commitments and then slipped naturally into journalism and, with two young children of my own, into writing for kids.
If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
Any hill-top town in central Italy. I could sit at my desk and write watching the sun go down. Heaven!
What’s your favourite girl’s name?
Amy – obviously!
What’s your favourite boy’s name?
George – obviously!
What are your hobbies?
I’m a great walker - walking helps me to think - and I love swimming and badminton. In fact any sport will do – keeping fit keeps my mind in tip-top condition for the thing I love the most: writing!
How old were you before you started writing?
I’ve written all of my life. I used to write books and books of poetry.
How long has it taken you to produce a first novel?
I wrote my first novel at eleven - I’m kind of glad that it’s gone missing over the years – it would be a bit embarrassing now I think! The snail series of books has taken some 5-6 years to plan, to write and to test-read with friends and family.
How much preparation did you have to do?
Not too much for that one – but hours and hours and hours on the more recent ones.
What kind of books do you like writing and why?
That’s a good question! I love writing for children because I love watching their faces when they’re being read a story, seeing their joy and wonderment. But I also write stories for adults which mirror the kind of world we’re living in.
