My new novel, 'The Secret Intensity of Everyday Life', will be published by Quercus Books in May 2009. I'm making changes to this web site shortly, and will include details of the new book.
If you'd like me to come to your school and talk about my books for children, please contact Hayley Epps at my publisher, Egmont, who coordinates my school visits diary, on hepps@euk.egmont.com. I do about one talk a month, so please understand if I can't make it.
Click here to ask me a question. I'll reply as soon as I can. You'll receive an email which will also be posted on the web site. If you think your question may have been asked before, please check the Frequently Asked Questions list first.
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Video Interviews about Seeker
Posted by aminah
28/11/2008 21:55:25
how many books have you written and which is your best one?
William Nicholson:
You'll find all my books listed on this site - six books for young readers so far, two for adults, with a third coming next May. That makes nine. My best one? The one I'm writing now, which will be my seventh book for young readers. It's called RICH AND MAD, and will be published in a year or so.
25/11/2008 20:12:57
As soon as i read the first few scentences of your book at school, i was completely transfixed, and have therefore not stopped reading your book since, but what i would like to know is how you can write a long story, as everytime i try to i get bored and dont like the idea of it anymore.
William Nicholson:
You're right, it is hard. Over the years I've developed a lot of discipline and am able to keep going for a few hours each day, but even so I too often decide it's boring and want to stop. What gets me past this problem is coming back to it the next day and getting excited all over again. So I think the answer is, do a little writing, then go off and do something else. Then come back to it. And don't expect wonders - allow yourself to do something that's not yet perfect. You can always go back and make it better. In fact, you should.
25/11/2008 00:25:32
I was very pleasantly surprised when I read the Wind on Fire trilogy several years ago. I'm usually one to dismiss fantasy books as lightweight, but your books truly resonate with something-- I'm not quite sure what. Maybe its the trilogy's resemblance to the story of Moses's people, or just the tone of the writing, but something about these books is very (for lack of a better word) symbolic. I was wondering if this was intended, or if that's just how it turned out. Either way, I love your writing & thank you for creating such a wonderful series.
William Nicholson:
I didn't intend my books to be symbolic exactly, but I did intend them to be resonant, layered with deeper meanings, even (dare I say it) wise. Whether or not I achieved that is for you to say, not me. But I certainly filled them with my own obsessions, which are not at all lightweight. I'm pleased you respond as you do.
24/11/2008 21:45:14
What does Aramanth actually mean? It seems to crop up a lot, Nightwish have a song called Amaranth which is pretty much the same, and there is a dragon in Anne McCaffrey's Dragonrider of Pern series called Amaranth too.
William Nicholson:
My name, Aramanth, occurs only in my books, I believe. The other spelling, Amaranth, is the name of a herb or flower which was believed not to fade, and so came to be a symbol of immortality.
23/11/2008 23:54:55
my daughter is dyslexic and we bought the windsinger on audio cd (unabridged) it was fab and we lisened on every car journey - it must have been about four times now. would love to get the rest of the trilogy on cd but can only seem to locate edited versions. were full versions made and, if so, where are they? waiting in anticipation for the next exciting installment! c
William Nicholson:
All three books were read unabridged by Sam West, produced by Chivers Audio Books. You should be able to get them on Amazon. You're quite right - unabridged is the only way to go. I narrated the abridged versions myself and it nearly broke my heart.
