Catherine Chambers

Catherine Chambers was born in Adelaide in February 1954 to two Ten Pound Poms. Four hours later, there was an earthquake. Things could only get steadier. A few happy years fly by, then we see Catherine getting tossed around for six weeks on the first liner to sail through the Suez Canal after the international crisis. Why? Because her mother missed English Spring primroses. England's Tilbury docks were grey. There were no primroses.

Catherine moved to London as soon as she could, studied African History and Swahili at university, lived in Nigeria through a military coup — and then a counter coup. And that only brings us to 1986. She has always worked in publishing, and has written an awful lot on natural disasters.

Catherine has a delicious husband and three kind and patient sons, who thankfully know far more than she ever will.

Frequently asked questions

How many books have you written?
About 80 — mostly children's and teens' non-fiction, with some fiction.

What was your first book?
Children Under Apartheid — it's about the harsh lives of African children living under South Africa's old apartheid political system.

When did you start writing?
When I was quite young — although I told stories rather than wrote them — like my father did.

Why do you like to write books for children?
Because children are honest and know if you're being sloppy, so it keeps you focused.

Where do you get your ideas from?
Travelling, the streets I've lived in and my family's history, traditions and folk tales.

Are the characters in your books based on real people?
Absolutely. But heavily disguised — I hope.

How do you create characters that will appeal to children?
I try to show their good side and not-so-good side, because children know that we all have both in us.

Who are your favourite writers/illustrators? And favourite books?
I keep going back to Kenneth Graham's beautifully written The Wind in the Willows, because it says so much about relationships and communities, both good and less good. My favourite adult writer at the moment is Dave Eggers, and his A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius — for its style, pace, mood and sense of place. And it's a bit like a 'road' book — I really like those.

Which character from a book would you most like to meet?
Badger from The Wind in the Willows and Smiley from John le Carre's spy novels.

What do you use to write your books?
My 'Bondi Blue' iMac, now a valuable antique (although my sons call it 'junk'). It stays cheerful and true, even though I sometimes blame it for my mistakes, which is shameful.

What were you like at school?
Restless.

What is your favourite food?
Raw sweet juicy peppers. And potatoes. Especially sliced, boiled, then drizzled with olive oil and tossed in garlic, ground black pepper, sea salt and fresh coriander.

What are your hobbies?
Gardening and staring out over the valley. So not much gardening gets done really.

Do you have any pets?
Not since our Oscar died. He was the most loving, intelligent, cunning and manipulative dog ever.

What is your most treasured possession?
Photographs and my sons' drawings and writings.

If you weren't a writer, what would you be?
Lost.