Q & A with Natasha

Describe yourself in three words?

Below average height.

Whoa - you seem to have a low opinion of yourself.

Not at all. Small people are cool.  Think Napoleon, Tom Cruise. Pint-sized megolamaniacs, the pair of them. Now I come to think of it I wish I was shorter.

How small are you?

Five one, if you must know. Can we change the subject please?

Alright. Where were you born?

Bangalore, India.

What is it like?

It used to be small and green and was known as the Garden of India. Nowadays they call it India's Silicon Valley : all high-rises, shopping malls, I.T. and smog.

When did you come to England?

When I was five.

Do you miss India?

I miss the food. Dosais, Idlis, Sambhar, Chutneys, Vadais, Ootapam.

That's enough. It's not dinner time. Did you always want to become an author?

Yes. As much as I wanted anything - even more in fact.

How old were you when you wrote your first book?

I only learnt to read when I was nine years old [that's why my spelling is so bad]. It must have been some time after  that.

Can't you remember?

No.

How much money do you earn?

More than JK Rowling. (I never tell lies)

Your books are full of adventure and shoot-outs. Have you ever been killed?

NO! [I'm still here aren't I?]

Have you ever been nearly killed?

Yep. When I was a war reporter in Georgia, we were  in an ambush on a broken down bridge. Three of us were surrounded by gunman firing wildly. The taxi driver pulled out his pistol and joined in.

That sounds scary 

It was.

Is your heroine Kit Salter based on you?

I wish. She is far braver than me, I'm a bit of a jelly inside.

What's the best thing about being a writer?

Elevenses.

And the worst?

Too many words.