I started writing when I was very young, long rambling stories that went on forever. I especially liked to rewrite the end of sad movies. I hated unhappy endings. When I was about ten, I made my first attempt at writing dialogue. It was dreadful and as a kid I had an unfortunate need to be perfect (I outgrew it) so that was the end of my writing career. At the back of my mind I always thought I would try writing again but somehow life always got in the way. Then one day I had more time on my hands than usual so I just started writing. I could picture the first scene of my book so clearly and I got such a kick out of writing it that I couldn’t wait to write more. Now I can’t imagine a life without writing and I’m so sorry I gave up writing all those years ago. About Val Collins My mum taught us all to read when we were three so I can’t remember a time I didn’t read. When I was little I lived in a tiny village in the west of Ireland and there were no book shops….