Frequently Asked Questions
WHEN DID YOU FIRST CREATE THE SERIES?
Not long after I joined Sodor Island Forums, I noticed that some members were writing their own series in the Independent Works section. Seeing as how I live in a rather rural and ignored section of Britain, I decided to take it upon myself to advertise it a bit, and show the other members that there are some great railway-related things in Cumbria. The exact date is probably around early October, 2004, or late September. I remember planning Volume 2 in October 2004, when I was on holiday in the USA.
WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE CHARACTER?
It's got to be Fred and George - pacer railbuses are quite common on my local line (the Cumbrian Coast Line from Lancaster to Carlisle), and I always imagine them with a strong West Cumbrian accent, such as one you would hear in Whitehaven or Workington. It's very distinct, just like the twins.
WHICH IS YOUR LEAST FAVOURITE CHARACTER?
I don't know, to be quite honest. A lot of them are dear to me, such as City of Carlisle, Scafell Pike and Eln Castle. The Triplets and their fellow DRS diesels are also great to write for. I'd say that minor characters are the hardest to write for, and therefore, I don't prefer them as much.
WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE STORYLINE?
This is tough, because a good few of them stand out to me, particularly the climaxes to Volumes 4 and 5. The Christmas Specials are always better because I am not restricted to a page-and-a-bit for each story. The recent "movie" is also one of my favourites, as I wrote it for my English GCSE.
WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INSPIRATION FROM?
I buy books on Cumbrian Railways, or just browse about for information on the Internet. For example, engines in Volumes 2 and 8 are just personalities given to real engines, which used to work in the Whitehaven area. Knowing the area quite well can help a lot, and gives accuracy to stories. The same goes for stories based on the Ratty. Some are incidents that happened, and I transferred them into the stories.
WHAT HAVE YOU GOT PLANNED NEXT?
I am currently writing a seperate novel, "The Legend of Elnisen", set in the Eln Valley, with the main human characters and myself. It is aimed at young adults, and covers some rather controversial issues - don't expect it to be HIT's recent standards! The Eln Valley Railway Series 3 has also been planned out, but I haven't done any work on it yet. Of course, there will be the Christmas Special at the end of the year, and, if you're good, then perhaps a Summer Special, too. Maybe I'll write it about some of the Cumbrian Engines being emissaries to a big event at York, to tie in with this year's SIF meet up there.
OUTSIDE OF WRITING, WHAT ARE YOUR INTERESTS?
I like fellwalking, reading, drawing maps, singing, surfing the net, talking to my friends over MSN messenger, railway modelling, playing on Star Wars video games, watching the Star Wars movies, listening to music... oh, and just being an "insufferable know-it-all".
ANY LITTLE SPOILERS FOR POSSIBLE STORIES?
Well, "The Eln Valley Railway - New Generation" springs to mind, set in 2020. Consider it a sequel to "The Legend of Elnisen".
Not long after I joined Sodor Island Forums, I noticed that some members were writing their own series in the Independent Works section. Seeing as how I live in a rather rural and ignored section of Britain, I decided to take it upon myself to advertise it a bit, and show the other members that there are some great railway-related things in Cumbria. The exact date is probably around early October, 2004, or late September. I remember planning Volume 2 in October 2004, when I was on holiday in the USA.
WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE CHARACTER?
It's got to be Fred and George - pacer railbuses are quite common on my local line (the Cumbrian Coast Line from Lancaster to Carlisle), and I always imagine them with a strong West Cumbrian accent, such as one you would hear in Whitehaven or Workington. It's very distinct, just like the twins.
WHICH IS YOUR LEAST FAVOURITE CHARACTER?
I don't know, to be quite honest. A lot of them are dear to me, such as City of Carlisle, Scafell Pike and Eln Castle. The Triplets and their fellow DRS diesels are also great to write for. I'd say that minor characters are the hardest to write for, and therefore, I don't prefer them as much.
WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE STORYLINE?
This is tough, because a good few of them stand out to me, particularly the climaxes to Volumes 4 and 5. The Christmas Specials are always better because I am not restricted to a page-and-a-bit for each story. The recent "movie" is also one of my favourites, as I wrote it for my English GCSE.
WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INSPIRATION FROM?
I buy books on Cumbrian Railways, or just browse about for information on the Internet. For example, engines in Volumes 2 and 8 are just personalities given to real engines, which used to work in the Whitehaven area. Knowing the area quite well can help a lot, and gives accuracy to stories. The same goes for stories based on the Ratty. Some are incidents that happened, and I transferred them into the stories.
WHAT HAVE YOU GOT PLANNED NEXT?
I am currently writing a seperate novel, "The Legend of Elnisen", set in the Eln Valley, with the main human characters and myself. It is aimed at young adults, and covers some rather controversial issues - don't expect it to be HIT's recent standards! The Eln Valley Railway Series 3 has also been planned out, but I haven't done any work on it yet. Of course, there will be the Christmas Special at the end of the year, and, if you're good, then perhaps a Summer Special, too. Maybe I'll write it about some of the Cumbrian Engines being emissaries to a big event at York, to tie in with this year's SIF meet up there.
OUTSIDE OF WRITING, WHAT ARE YOUR INTERESTS?
I like fellwalking, reading, drawing maps, singing, surfing the net, talking to my friends over MSN messenger, railway modelling, playing on Star Wars video games, watching the Star Wars movies, listening to music... oh, and just being an "insufferable know-it-all".
ANY LITTLE SPOILERS FOR POSSIBLE STORIES?
Well, "The Eln Valley Railway - New Generation" springs to mind, set in 2020. Consider it a sequel to "The Legend of Elnisen".