You have written books for readers of all ages, do you have a favourite audience?

I love writing for children - I think they make the best readers.

Do you find the act of writing is different for each?

I think it must be, though at the time you aren't conscious of it. Each book seems to find its own voice somehow.

What did you like to read when you were growing up?

I read avidly and voraciously. Too much probably - I should have got out more but I was hopeless at games. I loved historical writers like Rosemary Sutcliffe and Geoffrey Trease. I read rubbish too - lots of school stories - I can't think why now!

Does Wales affect your writing?

Wales seemed to find its way into lots of my stories, even before I moved here. It's such a beautiful place to be.

Can you tell us a bit about your new book 'Megan The Detective'?

It's about a girl living in a Welsh village, who's whiling away the time before she can become a vet by polishing up her detective skills. I deplore the commercially driven sexualisation and 'pink-ification' of much of the stuff aimed at girls today.

I wanted to write about a girl who doesn't have endless problems with her body image, doesn't aspire to be a designer anorexic, but simply enjoys her life. I also wanted to suggest that living in a quiet Welsh village can be quite exciting!

How do you go about the writing process?

Using a computer seemed to change the way I write. Not so many rituals - the right notebooks, the right pens. Just a question of sitting at the computer and not distracting myself with too much Googling.

You've also written a biography of Christina Rossetti, what drew you to this poet?

I wanted to find out more about her - she was such a private and reticent person. None of the books I read told me all I wanted to know, so I decided to write my own.

Do you have any tips for would be writers in Mid Wales?

The same as for would-be writers anywhere - use your eyes, use your ears, and just write and write. People say 'write about what you know,' but I think that's daft. If I wrote about what I know, I'd write about shopping trips to the Builth Wells Co-op and weeding the garden. But the important thing, I think, is to know what you write about - every book is an imaginary little world - and that world must have its inner logic.

What are your plans for the future?

To go on writing, enjoying living in Radnorshire, and watching my new granddaughter growing up.

Q&A with Frances Thomas