Author Interview: Sarah Harrison

We were able to chat with Sarah Harrison, author of School of Doom! Read our exclusive interview with her below:

1. When did you decide that you wanted to become an author?

It was an accident really; I started writing about fourteen years ago after my youngest son was so disappointed with the ending of a book, he asked me to make up a better one (he thought it was going to be a scary story, and it wasn't). I've always had a vivid imagination and decided to write a whole new story rather than an ending to an existing one. I started writing and instantly loved it. 

2. Did you read lots as a child - if you did, where did you mainly read? If you didn't, what was the reason?

I read constantly as a child. I spent a lot of time in my local library, but I mostly read in my bedroom, often under the covers with a torch way past my bedtime.

3. What was your favourite book as a child and why?

I had many favourites, such as The Wind in the Willows and The Lord of the Rings, but The Witches by Roald Dahl was the book I read most because it had great illustrations and was funny, scary, and thrilling - which I still look for in books today. I also loved comics such as Asterix, and the Beano.

4. How does it feel to see your books in shops and being sold?

It still feels strange thinking my book will soon be published. I grew up loving books but not knowing that working class northern kids could be authors, so the thought of people reading it feels very special.

5. What is the best part about being an author?

Getting to make stuff up and write it down as a job! I make myself laugh more often than I should probably admit and get to work with my pets by my side.

6. What are the "not so fun bits" in being an author?

There is a lot of waiting involved, and that's when uncertainty creeps in. Things move very slowly, and then a hundred things happen at once. You need a lot of patience!

7. Why do you think it is important for children to read?

Reading has so many benefits, from building empathy, learning new and interesting things, improving vocabulary, to laughing so hard you might wee in your pants - who doesn't love to laugh! (Without the wee, of course). It also takes you out of your everyday life and allows you to travel with new friends to far off places, often full of danger, magic, and mystery.

8. What is the inspiration for your books and writing?

I take inspiration from everywhere: my family, pets, travelling, film, music, art, books, anything silly. I put a lot of what I love and find strange or scary into my writing.

9. Who gives you feedback on your drafts and how do you act on the feedback?

I'm lucky now to have a fantastic agent and an editor who give amazing feedback. I tend to put way too many ideas into my work and overcomplicate plots, so it's usually how to scale back and simplify. I always think long and hard over feedback before changing anything - I like being able to bounce ideas around because sometimes a whole new scene emerges which is always exciting!

10. Finally, if you could read for an hour, on your own, anywhere in the world - where would it be?

I'd be on a hillside in Hobbiton (the filmset in New Zealand) on a warm hazy day with a bag of sweets and no shoes on. Ahh, to be a hobbit...

Thank you for getting in touch. I really admire your passion in wanting to get children reading for pleasure. I agree it's very tough for books to compete in such a tech-obsessed world so it's great to hear your ideas how to motivate them.