Visiting schools is an integral part of my work, inspiring new generations of readers and writers.
When I visit a school, my time is usually divided in two : firstly talking about my own work and describing a writer's life; secondly working on creative writing with pupils and teachers.
During an assembly - with the whole school or particular year groups - I talk about the books that I have written and read aloud from them. I discuss why and how I write, discussing my ideas and inspirations. And I always leave lots of time for questions.
In creative writing sessions, I cover "writing for pleasure" and the joy of creativity. Working with pupils, I discuss my love of words and stories, and we create characters and narratives together.
I am based in London, but I'm very happy to travel anywhere.
My new series, the Time Travel Twins, is perfectly suited to Key Stage 2 children who are studying history; the books are exciting adventure stories full of historical information, and are about the Vikings and the Anglo-Saxons, the Romans, the Maya, and the Stone Age. Future books will include the Victorians and the Tudors.
I often teach a special creative workshop based around these books, which focuses on using fiction to learn history. Having read from one of the books, I will discuss my own inspiration for writing the series, then lead children in a creative writing session in which they decide on a historical period to write about, create characters who live in that era, and write a story, mingling research and their own imaginations.
The event with Josh was amazing. The starting assembly engaged the whole school and the workshops with each year group made the children want to spend extra time on their work. A fantastic day!