Check out Pippa’s new Questions and Answers for May!

What is your favourite word?

Delicious! Because I love all food - and food would be my second favourite word!

Will you write any more books about Tilly and/ or Horses?

The series was originally going to be just six books, and I’m thrilled that we have extended that to twelve so far. Because of Tilly’s background and heritage there are lots of opportunities that I could dream up for her – I just need the time! I really feel like the story has only just begun…

Are these the kind of books you’d have read as a child? What do you think kids will enjoy about them?

Yes they are – I hope that they love the illustrations and what I hope they will enjoy is the fact that even though it is a fictional story it is a realistic world; the readers could be Tilly and anyone could end up having a life like hers – it is all possible!

What other stuff are you up to at the moment, apart from writing?

I am really busy competing – I am a professional event rider so every weekend from the beginning of March to the end of October I am competing: I am on the elite squad and world class programme.

What do you love most about working with horses?

I suppose I love being with horses – and all animals, especially dogs – I love that each one of them is such an individual. I think on the whole they bring out the best in me and sometimes I think I should treat people the way I treat animals.

Do you have a favourite of the horses that you own/have owned?

I try not to have favourites because I really do adore them all! Sir Barnaby was my first, Supreme Rock took me to my first Olympics and along with Primmore's Pride won me the Rolex Grand Slam, so they all have a special place in my heart.

Do you have any pets?

I have four dogs – all Jack Russells. I did have just two, but we had puppies last year and we kept two! Scruff in the book is very like my first ever dog!

When you were growing up did your parents support your love of horses and wish to ride like Tilly’s do?

Yes very much so, my mum had the interest in horses, my dad didn’t at all but was very supportive once he realised that this was what I was going to do. We didn’t have land or ponies – the first horse I had we kept at friends and it was owned by someone else.

If you missed any of Pippa’s questions last time here they are…

What advice would you give to anyone thinking of writing a story about horses?

One of the things that made me want to write is because I have followed my dreams and I would like to think that this could inspire girls to follow their own. I also wanted to put something into the book that is educational – the way I have written the horsey bits is how exactly I would do things – whether that is looking after the horses or riding them. The experiences that I have had over the years are really going into the book and hopefully readers will take in ideas and information without even realising it! It might even make someone think and act differently when they ride or look after their own or a borrowed pony or horse.

Who was your favourite author as a child?

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell had to be my favourite book and I suppose Solo from the sixth book in the series (which will be published in January 2010) will be a little bit like Black Beauty!

Who is your favourite author now? What are you reading at the moment?

I love reading but I am terrible at remembering the author’s names – I have just read Linwood Barclay’s Too Close To Home and really enjoyed it and have just finished Jeffrey Archer’s A Prisoner from Birth. But writing the Tilly’s and riding takes a lot of time – the best time to read for me is when I go on holiday – I love getting into a good book.

What would a typical day be like for you?

The alarm goes off at 6.30am, and then normally I would start riding at 7.30am which gives me time to ride one or two horses before we come in for breakfast! I would then ride all day without stopping, but every day is different. Sometimes we drive horses to the gallops, school horses for cross country, ride again, and then I have meetings and calls with my publishers and World Horse Welfare (I am a trustee for them and for the Mark Davies Injured Riders Fund and I am also involved with the Riding for the Disabled Association).

Where (and when) do you write?

All my work is done at the kitchen table and in the evenings after supper as I spend all day riding and looking after the horses. The thinking about characters and stories I do when I am driving!

What do you like best – writing or riding?

I’m afraid it has to be riding!

How long did it take to come up with the idea for each book in the series?

The ideas really came when I was driving, mostly at silly times of day on the motorway on the way to competitions. I did a long drive across France and that was when I finally came up with Tilly as a character.

I was playing with a horse hair bracelet that came from a horse I had evented called Viceroy. Tragically he died of colic, so the owners sent some of his hair off to be woven into bracelets in his memory. Looking at this gave me the idea for Tilly’s bracelet and reminded me of friendship bracelets that I had when I was younger. Once I had the original idea for the main character in my head I was away!

Are any of the characters based on people you know – and are any of the characters you!?

A great friend of mine is really half of the inspiration for Tilly - she has long dark hair and her background is from the fairground. I was going to use this for Tilly’s background too, but in the end that changed because of the ideas and inspiration that came from Tilly’s special bracelet. But Tilly is made up of lots of different people I know, and from me too - the horse whisperer side to Tilly I find really interesting, and I can relate to being a bit of a dreamer!

Do any of the horses featured in the stories reflect any you have owned or known, which ones?

I have tried really hard to keep the real horses I have known and the ones in the stories quite separate, though they have proved to be an inspiration. Red Admiral took inspiration from a big chestnut called Redesigned (or Red for short). Magic Spirit is very similar to my own first horse.