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Paul Jennings

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 Paul Jennings talks about his life

Many people ask me, 'What's it like to be a writer, Paul Jennings?' Well, it's a great life. I don't think I would want to do anything else. I get an enormous amount of mail from all over the world. I always think how lucky I am that people like my stories so much that they take the time to let me know. That's really great. Most of them want to know more about me. That's what this page is all about - to tell you something about me and my life.

When I'm not writing, one of my favourite pastimes is classic cars. My friend Keith and I love taking part in events with classic cars and spend as much time as we can working on our cars at weekends. We meet some great people through the classic car clubs. Now Claire has become interested in hill climbs and races too - she drives her red Triumph TR6 at some of the events. It's a fantastic hobby and a big contrast to being inside all day at my desk.

I was born in England on 30 April 1943 - it was still wartime. We lived in a place called Heston, near London. I can remember that there was an airport over the road. When I was six I left England, with my parents and my little sister Ruth, to come and live in Australia. That was in 1949. In those days, people came to Australia by boat. The one we came on was called the Ranchi. We sailed for five weeks before arriving in Melbourne. I went to Bentleigh West Primary School - I can still remember my favourite teacher. He was Mr Wheeler and when I put a nice teacher in my books I always think of him.

I had a good childhood - I can remember all the good parts, like the holidays and my mother's bread and butter pudding, very clearly. I can also remember all the fears and feelings of childhood that aren't so good. Feeling very small and powerless. The guilt and the embarrassment. The monster that I was quite sure lurked in the shadows. These are the things that I write about in my stories and which make some children ask 'How do you know what it's like to be me?' It's because I haven't forgotten those feelings - and nearly all children, even the bullies, have feelings like these.

When I left school I decided to be a teacher and went to Frankston Teachers College. I taught for a while at Frankston State School and Kangaroo Flat State School. Then I taught at the Turana Youth Training Centre and the Royal Children's Hospital State School in Mount Eliza.

I went back to study at the Lincoln Institute and became a speech pathologist, then I worked as a Lecturer in Special Education at Burwood State College. I moved to the Warrnambool Institute of Adult Education in 1979, and worked as a Senior Lecturer in Language and Literature. I stayed there until 1989 when I decided to write full time. Unreal! was published in 1985. Most writers have to write in their spare time until they know if they can make a living from writing. So for four years I worked as a lecturer and wrote part time.

I have moved from my house in the Dandenong Ranges to our house in Warrnambool with my wife Claire. We have also bought 60 acres of land on the edge of a cliff and are presently designing an organic house to blend in with the landscape. I have always loved the sea and from my new study I will have a 360 degree view, mostly of the sea. I will be able to watch the whales in winter. Every year from June to September Southern Right whales use the Warrnambool bay to shelter in to give birth to their young. Claire and I love to ramble along the secret beaches, caves and cliff tops near where our house will be built.

Here you can see me in my black jacket standing on the exact site where our house will be built. A fantastic spot, which will catch all the moods of the ocean; the raging storms and the calm, still, sunny days. Claire and I particularly like to watch sunsets and our living rooms will face south/west.

You can see me scrambling down the cliff in front of where our house will be. This is a very special place, an ancient cave, which is called 'Pillar Cave' because of the rock stacks which hold it up. We love to spend time sitting quietly down here, watching the waves crashing over the rocks.

I am standing next to Claire as she sits on her 'throne', a flat piece of rock on the edge of the cave. This is a good place to gather your thoughts about the day and helps the imagination come alive. As I look out to sea I wonder how long it will take before we move into our magical new home by the sea. I think we had better call it 'The Pillars'.

Claire was a consultant and lecturer in language and literacy. She knows a great deal about books and stories and is always one of the first people to read my stories and tell me if they are any good.

The other members of the family, who are all grown up and no longer live at home, are Tracy, Linda, Andrew, Sally, Bronson and Gemma. Tracy is a youth worker. Lyndu has three children, Anthony, Sarah and Jamie. Sally has two boys, Kyle and Sage, and Andrew has a little boy also called Andrew, another son called Jermaine and a daughter called Kayle.  Bronson works in the hospitality industry - I named Bronson in Round the Twist after him. Gemma is a beautician and a spectacular dancer.

So, that's the family. In my office Deidre and Linda help me with the bookwork, mail, publicity, appointments and phone calls. My office is about two streets away from where I live. I am lucky to have their help in the office because that frees me up to write the stories for my collections and junior novels.