I was delighted when I was asked to illustrate  ‘I Don’t Believe it, Archie!’ by Andrew Norriss. I always love to illustrate funny and bizarre scenarios and the wackier the illustration request, the better.

I’ve had a few strange things happen to me but this one is one I remember from when I was little…

I grew up in the countryside without a TV and sometimes my imagination would run away with me. I like to think of it as a good thing as it has probably helped me become who I am today.

My dad loved to play April Fools jokes and he somewhat exploited the fact that both my sister and I were completely gullible and believed almost everything he said. His usual trick was to shout that he’d seen something amazing in the garden (e.g. an escaped tiger from the zoo, a yeti, that sort of thing). He would yell “WHAT is THAT outside?! Come and look girls!” and we’d rush excitedly to the window.

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Yes, I have Archie moments.  I have so many that when I look back they all blur into a miasma of misunderstanding and confusion.  Only the really grisly ones stand out clearly, complete in themselves.  You know - the ones that make you scream when you remember them.  (And then of course everyone in the room turns round and looks at you: another Archie moment.  They breed, you see.)   

It was my first ever publisher’s party.  My debut novel was due out the following month.  I went up and down the crowded room, proudly wearing my badge John Dickinson – Author and introducing myself to everyone: ‘How do you do? I’m John Dickinson‘ just in case they couldn’t read. Everyone was very nice. They are, at publisher’s parties.

‘How do you do?’ I said to the next person. I squinted at their badge. This too said Author. ‘What do you write?’

The author laughed dismissively. Not much really, was the answer. Bits and pieces. Non-fiction, mostly.

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