One Minute With: Michael Bond, children's author

Where are you now and what can you see?

I am in a corner of my study. Facing me are two computer screens. Above the main one are some small shelves for reference books.

What are you currently reading?

The Disenchanted by Budd Schulberg. It's a tour de force, but a bit depressing if you happen to be an author, about a writer who has gone to seed.

Choose a favourite author and say why you admire him/her?

George Simenon, for his sheer professionalism. He never uses three words when one will do.

Describe the room where you usually write

Long and narrow with a window at either end. One side is lined with books. The other has a door and a built-in area where I work.

Which fictional character most resembles you?

The Scarlet Pimpernel when someone unexpected rings the door bell. If it's my turn to open the door, The Man in the Iron Mask.

Who is your hero/heroine from outside literature?

Paul Bocuse... owner of the three-star restaurant in Lyon, once caught sight of my chicken sitting stationary on a spit and gave it a nudge. It saved the day and it was the most delicious chicken ever.

'Paddington Races Ahead' and 'Paddington's Guide to London' by Michael Bond are published by HarperCollins Children's Books