I get asked lots of questions and the following is a selection. To view an answer, just click on the question concerned.

1. Is Tim Bowler your real name or is it a pen-name/nom de plume?
2. Many of your books are set in isolated places. Why is this?
3. What is your favourite character in Dragon's Rock, River Boy, Midget etc?
4. What books do you like reading?
5. Does the name of a character influence that character's personality?
6. What is your favourite scene in River Boy, Shadows, Midget etc?
7. Where is the town of Braymouth (in your novel River Boy)?
8. Is there any chance of your novels being turned into films?
9. Every time I start to write a story it all goes weird.
10. I want to write and publish a book but every time I write a story I get bored and stop writing it altogether. Can you help me?
11. I can't keep at the story. I keep giving up. Any tips?
12. I've always wanted to be a writer but I've been rejected twice. What should I do?
13. Where did you get the idea for Starseeker?
14. What made you become an author?
15. What kind of book is your favourite?
16. Have your life experiences influenced your work?
17. Do you have a particular theme?
18. Would you like film versions of your novels to cover every detail of the book and would you be upset if they miss things out?
19. Which of your books is the best and which should I read first?
20. Midget took you 10 years to write. How could you go that long without giving up?
21. How long does it take you to complete a novel?
22. Do I need to read your novels in a specific order?
23. Has writing always been your dream?
24. Who are your favourite poets?
25. Who are your favourite novelists?
26. Do you have a special place where you like to write?
27. Are any of your characters based on you?
28. Have you put any of your family into any of your characters?
29. Is it hard becoming a writer?
30. You once said your mum kept all the stories and poems you wrote as a kid. Why did she do that?
31. Are any of your novels based on childhood experiences?
32. Do you keep a diary?
33. Have you got ideas for more novels after the one you're working on at the moment?
34. Would you consider writing a poetry book?
35. Do you use a computer or do you write by hand?
36. Will you ever write an autobiography?
37. When you first started writing, did you believe you'd get published?
38. What job would you do if you couldn't write?
39. I'm still at school. What books would you recommend I read and what did you like reading when you were at school?
40. What is your favourite musician/band/composer and do you listen to music when you're writing?
41. Has being a writer ever caused you any hassle?
42. Have you ever written a book that was not published?
43. Have any of your family been writers?
44. What gave you the idea to write Midget?
45. Which of your books is your favourite?
46. What inspired you to become an author?
47. Did you enjoy writing River Boy?
48. What was the most enjoyable book to write and what was the least enjoyable?
49. Has anyone ever been your inspiration?
50. I heard you once mention that you drew pictures for your stories when you were a boy. Do you still like to draw them?
51. In a talk recently you told us your first ever story. Can you tell it again and say how old you were when you wrote it?
52. Where do you get your ideas from?
53. I really want to develop as a writer and get published. Can you give me some advice on how I can take my writing forward?
54. Do you know any good books on writing?
55. I've been working on a manuscript for some time and I really want to get it published but I'm still only at school. Do you think I've got any chance with it?
56. Do you plan your stories?
57. Can you give me some tips on how to become an author?
58. How can I get my story read by a professional author like you? And when I've finished it, what do you suggest I do?
59. Are you ever going to write a sequel to any of your stories?
60. When you wrote Midget, what kind of mood were you in? Do you think moods change the book you're writing very much?
61. I love writing and really want to write a book but the problem is I'm young (still at school) and I'm also scared my friends will make fun of me if they find out I'm writing.
62. I understand the main symbolic significance of the boy in River Boy but is he also, with his sensual body and expressive face, his mysterious appearances and disappearances, and his urgent, repeated encouragement to Jess, a symbol of her awakening adolescent sexuality, with all its new and often strangely disturbing feelings?
63. How do you create suspense and a storyline yet at the same time keep the whole thing grounded in reality?
64. I love River Boy, Shadows and Midget. What inspired them?
65. I find the ending of Midget heart-rending. Can you explain why the novel ends the way it does?
66. Can you give some hints on how to write love stories?
67. When I write, I find so many ideas flooding through me that my spelling goes to pot. What can I do about that?
68. What is the most important quality a writer should have?
69. I enjoy writing my own stories but just can't keep them going beyond a couple of pages. How can I lengthen them?
70. How can I get my novel/story/poem etc published?
71. How can I become a better writer?
72. What birth sign are you?
73. What sports do you like?
74. What is the first book you remember reading and how old were you?
75. Your novels Midget and Shadows both contain violence. How did you decide what level of violence was acceptable here and how did you go about choosing the subject matter of these books?
76. How old were you when you first got published?
77. What inspired you to be an author?
78. Who is your favourite author?
79. How can I believe in myself as a writer?
80. I want to write but can't even manage a short story. What can I do?
81. Are your novels autobiographical?
82. Was the grandfather in River Boy based on your own grandfather?
83. What football team do you support?
84. What has influenced you the most in your stories? Is it the places you have lived or visited? Or people you are close to? Or something else?
85. Why do you think that River Boy won the Carnegie Medal? Was it what the judges were looking for? Do you think it's your best story? If not, which book do you think is your best?
86. What do you like to drink while writing?
87. In your acceptance speech for the Carnegie Medal you talk about the magic, power and importance of words. Do you feel that books are becoming less popular and if so, is this important? How could this be addressed?
88. When I read Storm Catchers, I found that the tension and excitement made me unable to put it down until I came to the end. What made you decide to write about that subject and create such an emotional story?
89. Who was your favourite author as a child?
90. What are your favourite sweets?
91. I love to write but I can't make a decision between writing and acting. What should I do?
92. What personal experience has helped you most with your writing?
93. What is your most precious possession?
94. What do you do when you're writing and you get stuck?
95. What is your idea of bliss?
96. Will there be a sequel to Apocalypse? I just finished reading the book and it was great! But the ending leaves us with a cliffhanger.
97. Do you only write one novel at a time? What happens if you get inspired to write another story halfway through your other story?
98. When you start a story, do you always know how it will end?
99. What is the musical score on the cover of the American edition of Starseeker (Firmament)?
100. Is it necessary to go to college and university to become an author?
101. How long should a novel be?
102. How do you choose the title of a novel?
103. What made you write Starseeker, Apocalypse, Frozen Fire etc?

 
Tim Bowler's Official Website - www.timbowler.co.uk
© 2004,8 Tim Bowler - Design by Flipside