Marie Armstrong

Marie  Armstrong “Cats fascinate me.”

What do you write?

I’ve always loved fairy tales and the thought of Alien worlds on distant planets. I usually start off writing about everyday people though. And then they escape.

I love picture books and I like writing about cats too. Cats fascinate me. I never tire of watching them.

How do you write?

I do most of my writing on a lap-top but I own loads of notebooks and diaries. I never get to the end of one note book though, because I’m always losing things, temporarily. By the time I’ve lost a note book and found it again, I’ve bought another one and started to write in that.

Which do you enjoy more, reading, writing or research?

I enjoy all of it really. I like researching a subject if it interests me and I love reading, although I am quite a slow reader, so it takes me ages to get through anything. I have a memory of not being able to read. It must have been before I’d started school, when I was about four. I would sit with one of my Mother’s books and stare at the words which all looked like strange squiggles on a page. Years later I recognised the same ‘locked out’ feeling when I started trying to read books in other languages. Writing is the thing which I can’t imagine not doing though. So I’d have to say that I enjoy writing more than most things. When I write I don’t feel that I need to be doing anything else.

Favourite author?

I can think of several authors whose work I admire. But if I had to choose an absolute favourite then perhaps I’d choose the writings of Colette.

Favourite Book?

My favourite book from my childhood has to be, an illustrated picture book of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales. The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge was another. I read that one again and again because I never wanted the story to end.

Pets?

Finally, I have a cat and his name is Basil.