Yes, I am a member of the SCBWI Founded in 1971 by a group of Los Angeles-based children's writers, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators is one of the largest existing organizations for writers and illustrators. It is the only professional organization specifically for those individuals working in the fields of children’s literature, magazines, film, television, and multimedia.  

I actually sat down and started to write my first book in the winter months of 2007. I’d had the idea in my head for a very long time, but until that winter had never seemed to have found the time to settle down and actually start to write it. That year I did, and once I started to write I found it difficult to stop. 

I love to write from our summer home located in the La Safor mountain range. We live there from June to September. The weather is excellent. I can sit under the shade of the pine trees and palms in our garden, looking out across the mountains and the Mediterranean Sea, whilst I continue to write the next in the sequel of Chubbly’s world adventures. Mind you, sometimes we can get quite a hot breeze blowing, and then I have to pin down all of my paperwork to stop it being blown away, never to be seen again. During the winter months I normally write from my studio in the village where I live.

Sometimes it can be really fun, especially when dreaming up a new character. But sometimes you can easily become a bit isolated from the outside world, closing yourself away writing non-stop, and thinking how to put together new ideas. I try not to get like that too often, but sometimes it's difficult not to. Whatever happens the most important thing is that one always finds time to spend with the family, after all they are there at our sides all of the time, so to forget them would be a complete disaster.

Just keep reading and writing, trying out new ideas and styles.(see young writer’s tips in the free downloads) Write about things that are very familiar to you, and never listen to those silly people who say ‘You will never do it’ those people will never become writers because they will never even try. Keep on writing because it’s really great fun to be doing something that you enjoy.