When did you start writing and why?

We’ve always loved writing and have written stories since we were in Key Stage 1. We started writing together almost by accident. We were already friends when Jan took her small daughters to a museum. Her two-year-old spotted a scary lionskin rug and shrieked, “Don’t like the flat lion!” She told Sara all about it and they both thought that ‘Flat Lion’ would make a good title for a children’s story. So they wrote it together!

What is your favourite book that you’ve written?

We both loved contributing to the Lady Grace Mysteries – all about a girl detective at the Court of Queen Elizabeth I. We’re very excited that Lady Grace will be on CBBC in 2026!

What were you like as a child?

We were very happy as children and haven’t grown up since.

What superpower would you like to have?

Sara would like to be able to fly and Jan would like to have the power to be invisible. Imagine if you had both!

Do you have any pets or what imaginary pet would you have?

Sara has a cat called Monster who helps her work, usually by sitting on her lap and getting in the way. Jan used to have a three-legged, one-eared cat called Gordon.

Where do you write and what do you use?

We used to write side by side but now we write at our computers, each in our own home, and chat on Zoom at the same time.

What happens in your virtual author sessions?

We have fun! We introduce our stories, talk about characters, read passages from our books and encourage the children to do their own writing. And we finish with a Q & A and sometimes a game.

What’s the best thing about being an author?

Writing a book is like reading – you can enter a different world every day.

What is your favourite book to read?

For Sara – To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

For Jan – A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley

We both loved the Winnie the Pooh stories as children.

And finally, what’s your top writing tip?

If you’ve got an idea – just write!