Anthony Horowitz

Where and when were you born?

I was born in 1956 in Stanmore, Middlesex, to a family of wealth and status. I was raised by nannies and surrounded by servants and chauffeurs.

What were you like at school?

I was a very unhappy and overweight child. I was sent away to boarding school when I was just 8 and I hated every minute of it. Once the headmaster told me to stand up in assembly and in front of the whole school said, 'This boy is so stupid he will not be coming to Christmas games tomorrow.' I have never totally recovered. To relieve my misery and that of the other boys, I made up tales of astounding revenge.

Was there anything good about your childhood?

My unhappy childhood gave me a gift — it provided me with rich source material for all my books. All the nasty experiences inspired me to write! Also I was able to escape from my horrible school life through the James Bond films. Alex Rider is very like a young James Bond.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I started to make up stories so I could escape the real world.

What do you do in a typical day?

As well as writing books I write scripts for TV series such as Foyle's War and Midsomer Murders so I am very busy! I write for 10 hours a day in a small studio at the bottom of my garden.

What's your favourite book?

As I said as a kid I loved James Bond but I also loved Charles Dickens. I often think that my unhappy childhood and life at boarding school was very much like one of his books. Great Expectations is my favourite.

Where did you get the idea for Alex Rider?

I spent lots of time daydreaming about being a secret agent and this was the first inspiration for the series. Then when writing it I did lots of research, for instance I actually went in a car crusher and up a crane for Stormbreaker.

What was your most embarrassing moment?

Probably the one when the headmaster called me stupid.

What is your favourite thing?

My passion is scuba-diving. I have dived all over the world, including the South China Sea where I saw hammerhead sharks.

What's the most important lesson life has taught you?

Believe in yourself. It's not easy getting started and there'll always be someone to tell you you're not going to succeed. They're wrong. The only difference between a successful writer and an unsuccessful writer is that the unsuccessful writer gives up.

Things you didn't know about Anthony…

• Anthony began writing because he wanted to be like Tintin.
• He has travelled to all the places in the Tintin books (except the moon).
• He got married in Hong Kong. He didn't understand the ceremony because it was in Chinese.
• He spent a year working as a cowboy in Australia. This was for fun — not for a book.