ABOUT BARBARA

I was born in a town called Rochdale which is in Lancashire. There was just me, my older brother, Roger and Mum. My dad had died when I was a baby so Mum had to work very hard to look after the three of us. We lived in a street just like Coronation Street and we didn't have much money. On the opposite side of the street was a great big cotton mill which made our house very dark. We had to keep the light on all day.

I went to Derby Street School when I was three. Once I'd learned to read and write, I loved writing stories, turning them into books and illustrating them with my drawings. I also liked dressing up and acting out the stories with my friends. I stayed at Derby Street School until I was eleven when I went to Rochdale Grammar School. Then I turned into a very lazy teenager. I didn't much like lessons because I wanted to leave school and become an actress - but Mum wasn't happy about that. So I stayed on and went to college (now Warwick University) and became a teacher. I was happy teaching because I liked children very much - except the really naughty ones, of course!

After I got married and had two daughters called Susie and Sally, I began to write stories. Every morning, I would teach in a school at Bridgtown in Cannock and every afternoon, I would write stories before the girls came home from school. But I became busier and busier as a writer and so I decided that I would have to give up teaching.

Even though I don't teach any more, I'm lucky enough to meet lots of children. My writing has taken me all over the UK to schools, libraries and book festivals. I've also visited schools in the Caribbean, Germany, Malta and Singapore where the children might look different - but I find they are just like children at home.

Now my daughters are grown up and they have children of their own - Louise, Lucy, Max and Tom. I love to read stories to them. I'm lucky enough to live in a village in Staffordshire in a large sunny house with a big garden - nothing like the tiny, dark house where I was brought up. I have a dog called Ella (a border terrier) and enjoy taking her for walks over the fields. It's a great way to think up stories.

When I'm not writing, I like to read or go to the theatre or listen to music or dig in the garden or see friends and family. There just never seems to be enough time to do everything I want to do!

QUESTIONS CHILDREN OFTEN ASK

Q When did you start writing?
A I started when I was seven or eight. I loved making up stories and I used to make tiny books and draw pictures to illustrate the stories.

Q What was the first story you had published?
A It was called 'Presents for the Baby' and I wrote it for a children's programme on BBC. It was later published in a book which was a collection of short stories.

Q I you weren't a writer what would you like to be?
A I would like to be a journalist and travel the world reporting on events in other countries. Sometimes journalist can make us all aware of problems in different parts of the world and the way we can help to make things better.

Q Have you always been a writer?
A No. I used to be a teacher and, while I was a student, I worked as a waitress, a maid in a hotel and in lots of different shops.

Q Do you like being a writer?
A Yes, I love it! Making up stories is my favourite occupation. I also like being a writer because I get to visit lots of places when I go to talk to children. As well as the UK, I've been to schools and bookshops in Germany, Cyprus, Singapore and the Caribbean Islands. Last summer, I was at the Edinburgh Book Festival and I also got to visit several Scottish schools, which was great fun.

Q How long does it take to write a book?
A That really depends how long the book is. A short book might take only a month or so. A long book could take over a year. It also depends on whether you get stuck at any point in the story. That could hold you up until you've found a solution to your problem.

Q Do you do the illustrations yourself?
A No, never. I do like drawing but I'm not nearly good enough to be a professional illustrator.

Q What advise would you give to someone who wanted to be a writer?
A Read a lot and write a lot. Write about the things you know very well. Don't listen to anyone who tells you that you won't succeed. If you want to write - keep on writing.