[Template] Freak the Mighty

Do you have any heroes?

My hero was my father’s friend Jack. He was confined
to a wheelchair by arthritis as a teenager. He wrote
many novels, and none of them were ever published.
I never heard him complain about it, he just kept
writing. He’s my hero.

How long have you been writing books?

I started writing when I was about 12. I managed to
finish a novel-length piece when I was 16 – although
it was another 12 years before I finally got a book
published!

What is your favourite part of the writing process?
Is it like any other job?

I don’t think it’s like any other job – sometimes it’s
easier, sometimes it’s harder, but my favourite part is
thinking up the stories. Sometimes the writing down
part of it is like a regular job. But that’s all part of the
process. You have to work for anything good.

Do you ever get writer’s block? What do you do
when this happens?

I don’t really get writer’s block, I get lazy. I usually have
plenty of ideas, but find that sometimes I don’t have

the powers of concentration necessary to put them
down on paper. So, I do what I always do when I don’t
know what to write – I go fishing.

What do you mean when you say: “Imagination is
a muscle – the more you use it, the stronger
it gets”?

I mean that if you want to use your imagination, you
have to practise with it. If you wanted to be good at
basketball, you’d have to practise shooting baskets. If
you want to use your imagination, if you want to be a
writer or an artist, or do something creative for a living,
you have to use your imagination. You have to use it
every day. If you do, it’ll get stronger and better, just like
an athlete will get stronger and better.

Is there anything else you would like to say to
your readers?

Yes. What I always say to my readers:
KEEP READING!!

If you have enjoyed

you might like to try these
other gripping tales from

Rodman Philbrick...

LOBSTER BOY

Skiff Beaman has a problem. A big problem.

He needs to fix up his family’s fishing boat but to do
that he needs money. A whole heap of money. His
father isn’t going to help – he can’t see further than the
next can of beer since Skiff’s mother died – and nor is
his classmate, tyler, inventor of the nickname “Lobster
Boy”.

But Skiff can still hear his mother’s voice telling him
“Never give up”. So he comes up with a plan. It’s crazy,
it’s dangerous, and it’s going to take all Skiff’s grit and
strength to win a great battle against the sea.

“It’s the pace, excitement and above all, the
inspirational voice of this story that make it
unputdownable.”

The Scotsman

9780746065099

FIRE PONY

Roy and his big brother, Joe, are on the run from their
past when they fetch up at the Bar None ranch. Their
shared passion for horses soon wins them great respect,
and Roy is offered the chance of a lifetime, to break in
a wild pony that runs like the desert wind. He is even
promised that if he can ride Lady Luck, he can keep her
– a dream come true.

But Roy knows Joe has a dangerous secret...a dark
obsession that could explode at any time and send
Roy’s dream, and their whole world, up in smoke.

“Rodman Philbrick’s gripping cowboy story with
menace reads like John Steinbeck.”

The Sunday Times

9780746065082

THE LAST BOOK
IN THE UNIVERSE

“Nobody around here reads any more. Why bother,
when you can just use a mindprobe needle and shoot
all the images and excitement straight into your brain?
I've heard of books, but they were long before I was
born, in the backtimes before the Big Shake, when
everything was supposedly perfect, and everybody
lived rich.

In real life, nobody comes to your rescue. Believe
me, I know. But then I met Ryter, this old gummy who
had a lot of crazy ideas. Together we tried to change
the world…”

“Fast-paced and thought provoking... Highly
recommended.”

School Librarian

9780746074398

For more inspirational reads, log on to

www.f iction.usborne.com