Category:Hilary Lee-Corbin

As a child I always had my nose in a book and almost lived in the local library in Bristol, re-enacting the stories with the kids in the street where I lived. My favourites were, E. Nesbit, Kenneth Graham and historical adventures for children by writers like Frances Hodgson Burnett, Robert Louis Stevenson and countless others. I liked to visit their worlds and to imagine myself as the hero/heroine.

After teaching in primary schools I eventually taught English and drama at a university. My love of books for children has never diminished and, as an adult, I am particularly fond of books by Michael Morpurgo.

I have written non-fiction for children and also academic work for adults, but in my retirement I turned to writing fiction and I've really enjoyed it. An avid reader myself, I wanted to write an adventure story which also drew on my love of history. I worked through many drafts, both in my head and on paper. I've deleted passages I loved and tried to make the story lean and exciting. I've adjusted characters to make them believable and stronger and adapted language to make the text open and inviting for the target age group. Now I'm looking forward to writing a sequel.

Apart from writing, drama is a great love of mine and I'm kept busy acting and directing for a local company. Where did all that time go that I thought I'd have in retirement?