Contact
Click on twistedtales@btconnect.com to send a message to author Terry Deary. He tries to answer all letters from genuine fans within a week of receiving them. He is not able to correspond by post but answers ALL emails.
Terry is NOT available to answer questions for school projects or literacy exercises.
In the "Daily Telegraph" article of Saturday 29 August 09 Terry said:-
"I detest schools with a passion. I'd rather cut off my left arm and eat it with Marmite than go into a school. And I don't even like Marmite. Schools are an utter waste of young life. Learning things that will never be any use to you. The only reason they are there is to keep kids off the street."
In January 2011 he retired from personal appearances, books signings and festivals so organisers are (politely) requested not to invite him.
So ask away ... but to help you here are the top ten questions he is asked along with his answers ...
FAQ
Why did you start writing?
Lewis Carroll told a story about a place called Wonderland to a little girl called Alice. The little girl said, "You should write it down or it will disappear!". So he wrote "Alice in Wonderland" which became a classic book. I was an actor in a touring Welsh theatre company, performing very popular plays, especially children's plays in school. I decided to write those plays down as stories "before they disappeared". The first one was called "The Custard Kid", written in 1975 and published in 1977. It's a great feeling to see your name on the cover of a book. I wanted to see that. Even though I have published over 200 books I still get a thrill from seeing a new book of mine when it's published. Is that being big-headed?
How long does it take you to write a book?
A book takes me between six hours and six weeks to write, depending on how long it is and how difficult it is to get the information together. Some authors take ten years or more to write a single book. I plan to write 10 in 2008 - one book every five weeks. Plus I will be writing television scripts, radio and theatre scripts and acting in stage, television and radio productions. I also need to find time to manage three businesses. Of course I work six days a week - Sunday is my only day off. In March 2009 I wrote six books in 4 weeks.
Where do you get your ideas?
I'm a writer. It's my job. I don't have to go anywhere or do anything to "get" ideas. They are already in my head.
Where do you write?
I work from my home in County Durham (though I started when I lived in Suffolk). Writers should be able to write anywhere and not worry about what is going on around them. I used to be able to do that but now I seem to work better with a bit of peace and quiet. My writing place is now a special place. It is a small room in the roof of the house. The window looks out over a valley and on a clear day I can see the sea 20 miles away. My room is connected to the rest of the world by telephone and computer lines so it never gets lonely though I may spend 12 hours a day there.
Do you use a computer?
I work on a computer and have done for the last twenty years. Publishers will not accept books written by hand. I used to use a typewriter but computers make it so easy to change work, correct mistakes, count words and check for spellings. I can't imagine ever being without a computer now!
What is your favourite book that you wrote?
The favourite book series that I've written are probably 'The Fire Thief' trilogy and the four books in the 'Master Crook's Crime Academy' series. I am hoping to turn both into movies or television series in the future.
Have you always wanted to be a writer?
I have never wanted to be a writer. I have always wanted to play football for Sunderland! When I was a kid I read a book by Enid Blyton. All her characters were so posh I thought, "I could never be like that! I could never write books about children like that because they are rich and go to private schools!" Hopefully the books I write can be read by anyone, no matter what sort of homes they have or what sort of schools they go to. But, when I can afford to, I will give up writing and become a full-time actor.
How many books have you published?
By May 2011 I'll have published 209 books in the UK. Many have been translated into 40 languages and appear in another 650 editions around the world. But I have probably written nearer a 250. Not everything I write gets published. Some writers spend all their lives writing books and never get anything published so In guess I must be very lucky.
Why did you start writing Horrible Histories?
I started writing Horrible Histories in 1992 because a publisher asked me to write a funny history book. I know nothing about history myself – researchers dig up all the facts. My job as a children's author is to present those facts in a way that will entertain them and not send them to sleep the way school history lessons do. I believe the books are a success because I am not an historian.
Do you have any tips for me if I want to become a writer.
My favourite author Raymond Chandler said, "Trying to help people to write is all waste. The people whom God or nature intended to be writers find their own answers. And those who have to ask are impossible to help. They are merely people who want to be writers". In other words you can't become a writer – you are born a writer, or you're not. If you are NOT then find out what you ARE good at and do it.
Chandler also said : "Don't ever write anything you don't like yourself and if you do like it, don't take anyone's advice about changing it. They just don't know." That is to say, don't listen to teachers. Teachers can't teach you how to write ... if they knew how they would be writers not teachers.
Other questions ...
Terry recorded an interview for BBC's "Newsround Programme".
In May 2010 Terry did an interview with "The Times" newspaper for the launch of the "Horrible Histories" TV series on CBBC.
The sensational interview was then copied by "The Daily Mail" and the "Herald Scotland" newspapers ... but be warned. The Daily Mail article has a photo of Terry that is 15 years old!
And if you want to see what the "Daily Telegraph" newspaper thinks of Terry's "Horrible Histories" series then click on this link to find out about "History as it bloody well was"!!!
