Gemma, 16

Why did you decide to write The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ?

I've always been fascinated by the difference between the man Jesus, the son of Joseph and Mary, who I think almost certainly existed, and the idea of Christ, the son of God. The vast bulk of what people say about Christ seems to me nonsense, impossible, absurd. About Jesus, on the other hand, we can say many interesting things.

Were you surprised that people considered the book so shocking?

I wasn't surprised that people found the title shocking. Plenty of people wrote to me and told me I would go to hell for writing it. That was before it was even published, though. I think that if they actually read the book rather than squawking about the title, they might find it less appalling than they thought it would be.

You've been declared "the world's most outspoken atheist" in the past. Do you think that's true?

I don't think I'm anything like the world's most outspoken atheist. People who deserve that title much more are Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett . . .

Are you ever worried about offending people?

I think there's a difference between (a) offending people for its own sake, which I don't necessarily want to do, because some people are good and decent and it would be unkind to upset them simply to indulge my own self-importance, and (b) challenging their prejudices, their preconceptions, or their comfortable assumptions. I'm very happy to do that. But we need to be on our guard when people say they're offended. No one actually has the right to go through life without being offended. Some people think they can say "such-and-such offends me" and that will stop the "offensive" words or behaviour and force the "offender" to apologise. I'm very much against that tactic. No one should be able to shut down discussion by making their feelings more important than the search for truth. If such people are offended, they should put up with it.

Sophie, 11

Was there something that you read, or a painting that you saw, or a particular incident in your life that led you to write the His Dark Materials trilogy?

Well, one of the places it came from was John Milton's poem Paradise Lost. I don't think you'll be doing it in school for a year or two yet. I did it in the sixth form, and I loved it at once, mainly for the wonderful sound the words made when we read them aloud. I didn't understand them till much later. You don't have to "understand" poetry to enjoy it. Many adults think you do, and they go through it all explaining the "difficult" bits (or worse still, making you explain them), which aren't difficult at all if you don't fuss about it.

Last year, we studied Ovid's Metamorphoses at school and your book I Was a Rat! was recommended in our textbook as an excellent book to read afterwards. Was your book in any way inspired by Metamorphoses?
That's interesting. I didn't know I featured in a classics textbook! At the risk of being chucked out of it, I have to say that Ovid didn't really feature at all in the origin of "I Was A Rat!" (and the exclamation mark, and the quotation marks, are an important part of the title). The most immediate source for the story was "Cinderella".

Joanna, 14

Does the animal form that someone's dæmon finally takes in His Dark Materials reflect their personality, or is it the opposite to their personality? How does it work?

It symbolises an aspect of their personality. But our personalities have many aspects, and it might be a surprising one. (I have to confess that I don't know all there is to know about dæmons. There's a lot more I have to find out.)

How long did it take you to write all of His Dark Materials?

Altogether, seven years. But I'd been thinking about the ideas for a long time before that, without having a story to bring them to life.

How do you come up with names for your characters? Do you make up the name first and base the character around it or the other way around?

It varies. But it's rare for a really important character to turn up in my mind without already having a name.

Oliver, 17

You received praise for His Dark Materials from Christopher Hitchens, who is quite infamous for his views on religion, and you also opposed the pope's state visit. Are your views on religion, Christianity in particular, always put across in your novels?
Not always. The theme of His Dark Materials was the struggle against religious tyranny, so it made sense to feature religion in the story. But it doesn't come into the Sally Lockhart books at all, except incidentally.

You've finished writing His Dark Materials and you've also planned The Book of Dust [a companion novel to the trilogy]. Once you've finished it, is that the end of the franchise?

It isn't a franchise, first of all – it's a story. A franchise is a different sort of thing. I can't tell whether it'll be the end of the story, because I haven't got there yet. I do have a lot of other stories to tell, though, so I hope I'll have time to write those before I kick the bucket.

Do you have any plans in the pipeline?

I've got lots of plans in the pipeline. I'm writing a film script based on my comic "John Blake", for example, in between adding bits to The Book of Dust.

Luke, 13

Why do you think it's so important that young people read?

For the same reason that I think it's important that they breathe, eat, drink, sleep, run about, fool around, and have people who love and look after them. It's part of what makes us fully human. Some people manage to get through life without reading; but I know that if I'd had to do that, an enormous part of my mind, or my soul if you like, would be missing. No one should be without the chance to let their soul grow.

Ciara, 15

Would you change any parts of your previous books if you could?

Yes, because there are always things in a book you don't spot till after it's published. But I could spend all my life making one little thing perfect. I prefer to do as many things as I can, knowing that none of them will be just exactly as I'd like to see it for ever.

If you could have dinner with any person, dead or alive, who would it be?

I've spent a lot of time in the past few years thinking about Jesus. If I could have dinner with him, I could settle a lot of questions that the New Testament leaves unanswered. I'd also take my camera and ask if he'd mind if I took a photo of him. That would make the front pages of every paper in the world.

What book are you reading at the moment?

Several books, as usual. Among them are The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid, The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, and a book about the brain called The Master and His Emissary, by Iain McGilchrist.

Hanna, 15

How do you choose your themes and storylines?
I don't exactly choose them so much as surrender to them. I couldn't write at all if I had to choose, in a sort of cold-blooded way, between this idea and that one. If they both excite me, I'll write about them both.

Do you use your own experiences or people you meet in your books?

Yes, I suppose I must do; but they're changed. People often forget that there's such a thing as imagination. What imagination does is to take the things we know and play with them so they're not always recognisable.

What advice would you give to anyone who wants to be a writer?

Some people would say "Always write about what you know". I don't think that's good advice at all. Nor is the advice to write what you think people will like. I think that's just silly. We shouldn't bother about other people at all when we write. It's none of their business what we write. How many people did we hear, in 1996 or thereabouts, saying "We wish someone would write the first Harry Potter book! No one's written about Harry Potter yet. We wish they'd hurry up"? One of the reasons for JK Rowling's success was that she didn't give a fig for what people thought they wanted. They didn't know they wanted Harry Potter till she wrote about him. That's the proper way round.

Molly, 10

I cried when I read The Amber Spyglass. Have you ever cried while reading or writing a book?

Oh yes. If I write something sad, I cry. If I write something funny, I laugh. If I write something boring I . . . What do I do then? I cross it out and try again.

Claudia, 12

Were there any parts of His Dark Materials which you didn't enjoy writing?

Truthfully, no. What an interesting question. There are some parts of any book that feel like a chore when you're doing them, not a pleasure; but when you've finished you look back (as mountain climbers do, I imagine) and take some pleasure from the fact that it was a hard climb. Also there's the clear fact that if you only write when you want to, or when you feel like it, or when it's easy, you'll always be an amateur.

Maud, 13

When you wrote Northern Lights did you already know the plot of the other two books in the trilogy?

No – at least, not in any detail. I had a rough idea of where it was all going, and I knew a few things about some places I wanted to stop at on the way. I knew it had to end in a garden; I wanted to bring in the hornbeam trees along Sunderland Avenue in Oxford, where I live; I thought I might have to go to the world of the dead. That's all. I discovered most of it as I went along.

Francesca, 9

When did you first start writing stories as a child?

I think I wrote my first story at the age of eight or nine. I like to think I've learned a little since then, but really it's the same process.

What do you really mean when you write about "dust"?

You'll have to wait for The Book of Dust to have the answer to that.

If you've read any Tolkien, what do you like about the way he writes? Did it inspire you to write any of your books?

I read The Lord of the Rings when I was 18 – I read it greedily, lapping it up, eager for more. But I haven't read it since then, though I've tried. It doesn't satisfy me any more, and I think that's because Tolkien, who created this marvellous vehicle, doesn't go anywhere in it. He just sits where he is. What I mean by that is that he always seems to be looking backwards, to a greater and more golden past; and what's more he doesn't allow girls or women any important part in the story at all. Life is bigger and more interesting than The Lord of the Rings thinks it is.

Is Lyra just a made-up character or is she based on a relative or a girl you knew?

Lyra isn't any girl in particular. But I used to teach a lot of girls like Lyra. Lyra is not a special girl – she's very ordinary.

Charlie, 11

I would really, really love to have a dæmon, and if I had one I'd like it to be a monkey. What would yours be?

I think my dæmon is probably a raven or a rook or a magpie – one of the birds of that family – because she steals things, like ideas for stories, and images, and phrases. Unfortunately, you can't choose the form of your dæmon. You have to put up with whatever he or she turns out to be.

One thing I love about His Dark Materials is the subtle differences between your worlds and ours – the different types of light and different names for things like chocolatl and smokeleaf. How do you get the ideas for these differences? I want to know so I can write as well as you!

In some cases (such as chocolatl) I went back to the original language, which in that case was one of the languages of ancient Mexico. In others (like smokeleaf) I invented an English phrase that . . . well, explained what it was. You can play about a lot with English.

Which character in the books do you think is most like you?

Hm! I don't know. I'd like to be like Lee Scoresby, but I think I'm probably like one of those doddering old scholars.

Holly, 12

Did you like the film they made of Northern Lights? Do you think some one should make a film of The Subtle Knife?

I liked the film The Golden Compass, but I'd have liked it more if they'd kept in all the scenes they filmed. They shot all the scenes right up to the end of the book, and some of them were very good indeed. I think the film would have been stronger if they'd put it all in. As for a film of The Subtle Knife, well, I'd like that very much.

Morag, 12

Why did you make the end of the His Dark Materials trilogy so sad?

Oh dear. I know it's sad, but I couldn't help it. Honestly. I think any other kind of ending would have been weaker.

Luke, 13

Is Lee Scoresby named after the Arctic fisherman and writer William Scoresby?
Yes. Well spotted!

Naomi, 10

How does Lyra compare to Lucy from Narnia?

Well, that's not really for me to say. That's a matter for readers to talk about, if they want to. But I'll repeat what I've said somewhere else: Lyra is a very ordinary girl. The world is full of Lyras. I can't work up much interest in stories where the hero or heroine is "special" in some way. I know the witches say that Lyra has a special destiny, but that's something outside her. She has no special gifts or talents or magic.

Adam, 16

Are you particularly attached to any characters?

Yes, I suppose I am. It would be wrong to tell you who they are, though. Would you say to a mother: "Now tell me, Mrs Perkins, which of these many fine children of yours do you love most?"

What is your work process when you write? Do you have specific conditions for the enviroment you work in, or can you write anywhere, any time?

I can if I need to. But my ideal place and time is in my study, in the morning and the early evening. I find afternoons difficult. Always did.

What are your tips for aspiring novelists?

There are several things I think it's important for an aspiring writer to know. When I was young I read all kinds of that sort of advice, and I thought it was all rubbish. Later on I found out for myself how important a few things are, and I'll tell you three of them here.

One: work every day. Get into the habit of it. Work when you don't feel like it, when you've just broken up with your girlfriend or boyfriend, when you're feeling ill, when you've got homework to do. Put your work first. Habit is your greatest ally. Get into the habit of writing when you're young and it'll stay with you. Sixteen is a very good age to start.

Two: find out what way of working (place, time, writing instrument, desk light, and so on) suits you, and insist that you get it.

Three: don't listen to anyone who tells you you should study what the public wants, and give it to them. They don't know what they want, or they'd be writing it themselves. It's not their job to tell you what to write. It's your job to write something they could never have thought of, and then offer it to them. Good luck!