Meeting an author

Tuesday 16 May 2023

Tom Palmer virtual visit

Today, the children had a virtual visit from Tom Palmer (and his dog Finn) who is an author that writes children’s books.

About Me | Tom Palmer

Tom began by talking about how he got into writing…

As a child, Tom didn’t enjoy reading, didn’t think he was any good at it and didn’t like it until his mum tricked him into it by using football! He began to read comics and newspapers about football and this helped him practise his reading. Tom found that the more he read, the more he enjoyed it!

His love for reading then inspired him to become an author and his ideas for different books come mainly from football, animals and war. “Write about what you love,” said Tom.

Question time!

Some of the children had the opportunity to ask Tom a question such as;

How long does it take for you to write a book?

It depends! Some books take 6 weeks to write and some take 6 months… it depends what I’m writing about and how long the book is.

What gave you inspiration for ‘Arctic Star’?

My wife used to work on HMS Belfast so her stories about the ship inspired me to write about a warship.

Why have you set some of your stories in Leeds?

I set some of my stories in Leeds because I’m from Leeds! Writing about somewhere that I know makes it easier as I can add more detail to my stories.

Have you travelled to the places you have written about?

Yes, I have been inspired by the different countries I have visited. However, travelling around the world is very expensive!

 

Help at home by researching Tom Palmer’s website. Find out more about the author and explore some of his fantastic books. https://tompalmer.co.uk/