Jackie Marchant
Children's Writer
About Me
I live with my husband, two children and a dog, right on the edge of London. That means I can hop on the Underground and be in the hustle and Bustle of the Big City in less than an hour. . .
. . . or I can walk through my garden into the peace of the woods. I love doing both.
I do a lot of walking in the woods and while I'm walking I'll be thinking about things to write. That could be why THE SWORDMAKER is set in a large forest.
That is probably also why I often bump into low branches while I'm walking along.
I do a lot of writerly thinking in the hot tub, another of my favourite places. Or I'll read a writing magazine in there. Once I've got my story, I rush off to write it down - either in my study or, if the weather's nice, I'll sit and work in the garden.
I LOVE children's books. I read loads of them and I'm very lucky to have met lots of wonderful authors who have signed their books for me.
When I'm not reading, thinking about my writing, or writing, or rewriting, or rewriting again (several times over), I look after guide dogs while their owners are away. My own dog would have been a guide dog himself, but he is nearly blind in one eye.
In my spare time, I do agility with my own dog. That means he goes over jumps, through tyres, tunnels and other obstacles while I run around like a mad thing trying to remember which way to go. Sometimes I do remember and we've even won a few rosettes!
Apart from all that I am a reviewer for the excellent Carousel Magazine, which means I get to read lots of lovely children's books before they are published. I like to help out with the good work of The Federation of Children's Bookgroups.
As well as all that, I am a member of the wonderful Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, which we normally call Scooby (like Scooby without the Doo). My job is to find speakers for the London Professional series, which I love doing as that means lots of trips to the Big City.
When I'm not doing any of the above, I am involved with a small local charity called Friends of Ken Weinling, raising funds for Guide dogs and local causes.
When I am not doing any of that, I am normally fast asleep.
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