Colin Thompson

Author and Illustrator

Colin Thompson agreed to be interviewed via e-mail by Nicola Warwick.

NW: What "type" of person do you think you write for?

CT: Me. To be honest I never think of my target audience.

NW: How does your mind work? Would you describe yourself as a lateral thinker? (I ask this because of the way you play with words and images). And do you get "on a roll" when you're writing/illustrating pages and all the ideas just flow? Do you have a warped/unusual sense of humour?

CT: My mind has a mind of its own. As I get older it seems to work faster and faster so that now there is simply not enough time to do everything I want to do.

NW: What authors do you like to read? What books have had a major influence on you? Do you have a favourite fictional hero? Do you love books? What books would you take to a desert island?

CT: I like John Updike, Stephen Leacock, Alan Bennett (especially him reading anything--I have all his tapes) The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy. Yes, I love books. How To Survive On A Desert Island and the books above.

NW: Do you enjoy meeting your readers? And does this happen often?

CT: Yes and as long as not too often. Not really.

NW: How did the Festival of Books come to use your book cover image? And what will you be doing there?

CT: Because it's got books on it?? Book signings, having an exhibition of my artwork, more book signings, talking, shopping, more book signings, meeting a cousin that I didn't even know existed six months ago, more shopping and book signings.

NW: How do you use the Internet? Do you get a lot of fan mail?

CT: I don't spend much time 'surfing' the net as it's so bloody slow and ninety percent boring. I really enjoyed creating my own Web site and it brings me a lot of mail from all ages around the world.

NW: What's your "life's little luxury"? (A "little luxury" is "inexpensive, accessible to the masses and, in some way, life enhancing.")

CT: Computer games and cherries.

NW: Do you have any pets now?

CT: Yes, two dogs: a terrier, Charlie and a labrador, Bonnie.

NW: If you could have done anything at all in your life, what would it have been? Do you have a secret ambition?

CT: I want to paint (no time at the moment). Write more (not enough time--I am re-writing a children's novel and working on three books of children's short stories). Write adult stuff too. (I am about a third of the way through an adult novel.) To get my surreal sci-fi novel published on the Internet as well as in paperback. (This may be happening shortly.) None of these are secrets. I have no secret ambitions.

NW: Your greatest achievement.

CT: Selling books of my writing (more than my picture books). I still think it's wonderful that people want to buy and read stuff that I've written. The picture books, although my main source of income, I sort of take for granted.

NW: Is there a historical figure with whom you most identify?

CT: By this I assume you mean dead person--Jim Henson.

NW: Which living person do you most admire?

CT: Alan Bennett, probably and the ghost of Jim Henson.

NW: Your greatest extravagance?

CT: Shopping.

NW: If you had a motto what would it be?

CT: I haven't got a motto. (I did have one, but I lost it.)

NW: What motorbike would you most like to have?

CT: A trail bike (sorry NOT a Harley Davidson--they are as noisy, uncomfortable, and technically out of date as a VW Beetle).

NW: Why do you write? What motivates you?

CT: Because I can? I don't know, I just do it. If no one bought my stuff I'd do something else.

NW: Do you believe in magic? What's your philosophy of life?

CT: Probably. Anything's possible and probably probable.

NW: Who's Kevin?

CT: I haven't the faintest idea.

Picture of Kevin. (This is Kevin!)

NW: Are your children fans?

CT: Two of the three. The other one isn't talking to me at the moment. The youngest is 27 by the way.

NW: What were you good at, at school?

CT: Art and nothing else.

Order Colin Thompson's books from Amazon.com:

How to Live Forever
Looking for Atlantis
The Paper Bag Prince
The Paradise Garden
Pictures of Home
The Tower to the Sun

Nicola Warwick is the author of life's little luxuries. She lives in Manchester in the North West of the UK. Nicola's articles have been published in various writing, computing, and electronics magazines. She currently works as Product Marketing Manager at World Online. Read more about her here.

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