A: Since I write mostly fantasy for children, they are all children's fantasy writers. Diana Wynne Jones (who couldn't possibly be anywhere but at the top of the list *G*), Garth Nix, Susan Cooper, Susan Price, Lloyd Alexander, Geraldine McCaughrean, Jonathan Stroud, Mary Hoffman. That's just a smattering. And I'm very impressed by the number of children's fantasy writers of international quality coming out of Australia. (Garth Nix is one.) You could count such New Zealand writers on the fingers of one hand and still have too many uncounted fingers.

A: I prefer writing fantasy but have also tackled romantic suspense. Stranger in the Mirror was my first attempt in this genre (I also have an unfinished one) and it will be published by Awe-Struck next year. I'm looking forward to that immensely.

A: Silvranja, my brave little silver unicorn. The why is probably because her story was the first to be short-listed for an important award in 1998. At the time of writing this (April 2004) the manuscript has just been accepted by a print publisher in Australia.

A: Oh, I don't seem to be able to get away from the land that birthed Silvranja. Having completed her story, I then decided I needed to tell her mate Albishadewe's story. I then turned to a human character who had taken a minor part in the series, followed by an entirely new character, also human. I am now working on the story of yet another human character from the land of Lazaronia. And yes, I do read other writers' series. The biggest problem is keeping up with them. There's no way I can buy them all and they are often difficult to find in the library until as long as a year after publication.

A: Not much--at least consciously. I'm sure that I unconsciously include more than I'm aware if. The bits that I know about are very small things. For instance, I started two of my series from the house where I lived in Auckland. When I was a child most of my reading came from England, with a smattering from America. I grew up with an image of England as a land full of magic and couldn't imagine exciting stories being set in New Zealand, never mind in Auckland itself. But I suddenly discovered that the shores of the Manukau Harbour (a sweeping view of which I could see from most rooms in my home) was a perfect place for dragons to land (just as the often brooding Horahora Bluff that dominates the landscape where I live now is a perfect place for dragons to live). And the Southern Alps made a wonderful backdrop for the Lady's eerie music in my Quest for Earthlight series (The Obsidian Quest and its sequels). Since then, of course, another New Zealander has discovered the magic in New Zealand's landscape: Peter Jackson with his movie versions of Lord of the Rings.

A: I would dearly love to have someone who could give me ideas, particularly with the plot, but I'm left to come up with everything myself. Critique partners don't usually help with plot ideas--at least mine haven't. They have enough trouble with their own plots, I suppose.

A: Since I write mostly for children, it's usually the plot that comes first. Children want a STORY not a character study, however beautifully written it may be. Sadly, the books most popular with children (at least once they get to an age where they want to choose their own reading matter) are often not particularly well written. But they all have two things in common: they concentrate on telling a story and they don't preach to the readers by having any sort of moral message. Of if there is a message it's there by accident.

A: I didn't suffer from writer's block early in my career. For several years I blithely pounded out a thousand words every day. However, the more I learned about the craft the harder writing became and writer's block has become my constant companion. I console myself with the words of the American poet William Stafford, "There is no such thing as writer's block for writers whose standards are low enough." Another favourite saying that I find comforting comes from Richard Brinsley Sheridan's Clio's Protest:

You write with ease, to show your breeding,
But easy writing's curst hard reading.

As for how I deal with writer's block, well the only way I've found is the most unpalatable of all--to force myself to write. (After all, I tell myself, if it doesn't come out right I can change it.) However, forcing myself isn't always possible. To paraphrase the words of the old adage, the spirit might be willing but the flesh can be obstinately weak.

Q: Is any one of your books the book of your heart, a book you felt compelled to write? Tell us about it.

A: If compelled to choose a favourite it would have to be Silvranja of the Silver Forest, the manuscript of which was short-listed in one of New Zealand's most prestigious awards, the Tom Fitzgibbon Memorial Award, in 1998. This award is for a manuscript from an unpublished writer for children and consists of a prize of $1,500 and a contract with Scholastic New Zealand. Silvranja of the Silver Forest was the most difficult book I had tackled up to then (I've since written more difficult ones) and I nearly gave up on it at least twice (telling myself, "This is no good. It's just not working.") It was Silvranja herself who made me finish it, encouraged me to make it work. I had put her through too much to leave her story unfinished. I also considered that some of the story was actually too good to waste. To cap off my self-doubt, I nearly didn't send it in to the award. The winner in that year, BTW, was a comedy. Fantasy doesn't stand much chance against comedy, which children's publishers apparently have difficulty finding.

Q: Tell us about one fan letter you received that really touched your heart.

A: A nice easy question. It was an email from a couple of girls in America. How could I possibly resist: "Hi, Mrs. L. Anne Barker! I adore you! You are the BEST WRITER EVER!!!!"

Q: Anything you'd like to add?

A: Readers can find excerpts from all my novels on my web site, except for my WIP. I haven't got round to putting this up yet. There is also biographical information there, reviews of children's books (mostly fantasy) that I have enjoyed, a page of recommended fantasy titles without reviews, a page devoted to Harry Potter, some easy and economic recipes--and lots more.