Top flight author inspires pupils

Children’s author Mark Robson spent the day at the Allertonshire School in Northallerton, inspiring students and passing on tips about how to write a novel. With him are from left, Mia Barber, 13, Leah Dawson, 12, Sam Rowley, Ryan Lishman and Zara Wilson, all 13, and Brooke Hodgson, 12.

The writer who has now published 13 fantasy and sci-fi titles since he left the RAF in 2005 to become a full-time author.

He told students he started writing when he found himself grounded by bad weather when stationed in the Falkland Islands. “I was driving my navigator mad because I was bored,” he said. “He said ‘for goodness sake will you do something useful like write a book’, so I started and he loved it.”