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1. Alex and the Wigpowder Treasure is a bit of a detective story. Did you like detective books when you were younger?

Actually I did, yes. When I was little I quite enjoyed the Encyclopaedia Brown series which lets you try to solve the crime at the end of the story (of course I rarely succeeded). I also really was a fan of the Adventure Series by Enid Blyton, and those kids always had to solve stuff. When I got older I started to work my way through Agatha Christie novels, and still love re-reading them now. I’ve also always had a soft spot for good old fashioned film noir detective movies. I have tried quite a few times to write a detective novel myself. But then I discovered that I suck at writing detective novels.

2. What inspired you to write your first book?

I have always had something on the go writing-wise; plays, a detective story or something in the pipeline. But then one weekend I decided to take a break from the big city and travelled up to Bath for a weekend get away. I did tons of sight seeing and it was a really cold weekend, and I was walking around everywhere on my own with my thoughts. I remember thinking how I could try to write a book for children because I know the genre so well and because I write a lot anyway. So I started to brainstorm as I continued to walk.

Well I knew right away I wanted to write about pirates because I have always loved pirates. Then I thought it could be interesting to have someone who typically doesn’t have an adventurous job be a pirate, and since my whole family are teachers (and of course now they will disown me for saying that teaching isn’t adventurous), I immediately went with that. And I kept building up the story so much that I had to rush to my B&B so I could write it.

So then after that weekend I just kept writing. Being unemployed also helped! As an unemployed actor, I was doing a lot of temping to make ends meet. Sitting in front of a computer all day, basically just answering phones, affords you much time to write a novel. And so I just kept going. And then one day I decided maybe I should try to get it published. I was an actor after all, extremely used to rejection, so it didn’t seem that huge a risk for me personally. So I did some research, worked on a cover letter and synopsis. And sent it out. And that’s when everything just started to snowball.

3. You characters are brilliant, so crazy and fun. How do you dream them up?

A lot of my characters are based on already existing characters in film and literature. I consider Alex a satire for children really, I was inspired by Lewis Carroll and his parodies, so a lot of the characters I create are sort of archetypes. The Extremely Ginormous Octopus for example is based on the great British actors like Lawrence Olivier and Peter O’Toole. Others characters parody a whole genre, so the people on the train are all types I’ve seen in those drawing room mysteries from the twenties and thirties (and Charles just is George Sanders). Then I like to play with our pre-conceived ideas of types, so while I have the typical henchman, one who is small and another who is big, I have reversed their roles so that the big one is actually smarter than the little one. Steele is based on every big villain out there, smooth, with perfect RP. Oddly Captain Magnanimous is based on Ewan McGregor. I have no rhyme or reason for this, that’s just how it turned out. There are some characters who are based on friends of mine. But these friends have been informed of this, ‘cause I didn’t want anyone to get mad at me, and really my friends are brilliant, crazy and fun, who wouldn’t want to use them as inspiration. Then there are just the characters who appear to me, in my mind, fully formed. Mr. Underwood for example. And then lastly there are those few individuals who just write themselves, they snatch the pen from out of my hand and have a go at it on their own. Jack Scratch is an excellent example of this.

I try to make sure that each character has his or her own unique voice. And because of that I think they automatically become much more three dimensional in the process. In order to write so many different characters, and make them individual, I need to know what their motivations are, what their philosophies are etc. More importantly though, I need to figure out what makes this particular character different from another. And as such, I end up creating incredibly strange people. It isn’t a huge arduous process to do this, I find it really fun actually.

4. Pirates are very 'hot' at the moment - why do you think this is?

To be honest I think pirates have always been hot. I think that it’s just now that the whole Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has taken off that we see it everywhere. Every couple of years the studios would attempt to make a pirate movie and it would fail, this is the first time in a long time that a pirate film has actually worked.

But I think what makes pirates so popular in general is that they are really cool. I mean there are a lot of seriously cool elements that make up a great pirate. First there are the tall ships. Tall ships are gorgeous, and the idea of living at sea like that is very romantic. Then there is the fighting, and the awesome weaponry pirates get to use. There is treasure of course, and even more importantly the thrill of hunting for treasure: solving riddles in a treasure map, the whole quest thing. There is also a great sense of individuality in pirates. Each one gets to wear a cool outfit, and have a unique personality and name (a bit like the Spice Girls: “Which one are you most like?” So which pirate do you feel an affinity with: Captain Morgan, Blackbeard, Anne Bonny . . .) Pirates have pets: parrots, cats and, in Muppet Treasure Island, a lobster. They make their own rules and anything goes. And there were female pirates as well, so everyone gets to play. I definitely think what attracts most people is the romance of the pirate, not the reality. But there are also groups of people for whom the reality is just as exciting. The scurvy, the short and brutal life, the violence. I think in the end, it all comes down to the adventure of it all, and the freedom. In respect to our structured lives, it’s pretty darn awesome.

5. Writing humorously can be very difficult, do funny gags or situations just spring into your mind?

There are several ways in which I find I write something funny. The first is observation. I find the world a pretty absurd place and the way people behave in it pretty strange at times. I don’t take notes or anything, but I definitely take stock of what goes on around me. Even just the act of writing I find slightly absurd, so I can’t help but comment on that while I am writing the story itself.

The second way I can’t really explain. I’m just sort of writing along, usually it’s dialogue, and inspiration will just hit. That’s always the best way because I surprise myself, and then can really be entertained by my own discovery, like someone else has told me the joke.

The last way is just plain effort. I need to write something funny here. What’s a funny word? Ah “flurbit” is a funny word. What are the tried and tested gags out there, and how can I make it fresh? What makes a funny one liner? A lot of comedy is about timing, in fact almost all of it is. The simple act of restructuring a sentence, or adding a comma, can make something much funnier. Writing like this is tricky because, as you are doing it, it is harder to tell if you are actually being funny or not. It’s only when you return to the writing a few days later that you can really tell if it works (or if a friend is reading it and laughs, that’s also a good sign!)

6. Describe your typical day

A typical day. Well it usually starts with me waking up. Then if the weather is okay I’ll go for a walk/run. Then breakfast. Then it is onto work. Usually I start by checking my email. Because my agent and publishers are in the UK for some strange reason, the time difference means that I need to make sure neither of them need something by the end of their work day. Which happens way sooner than mine. Then I write. Depending on the day I’ll also write a blog entry. Then lunch. The afternoon is a combination of more writing and appointments. I take singing classes once a week, and there’s always some doctor/dentist thing or something. Around the Oprah hour (which is 4pm my time) I work out again with my giant red ball. Then dinner. Then some more writing. Then TV! Love my TV! Then bed. Of course things get juggled around a bit, auditions pop up at the last minute, or I go for lunch with a friend. Or I sleep through my alarm clock. And email is checked every five minutes or so throughout the day. But that’s basically it.

7. What are your hobbies when you're not writing?

Well I am also an actress, but I wouldn’t call that a hobby. It’s my other passion and job, and being both a writer and an actress does tend to take up a lot of your time.

Nonetheless. . .

I am a HUGE movie buff, so I go to the cinema a lot. I also play the piano, though not all that well, but I find it relaxing to do. I’m not huge into sports, but when I am at my cottage I love to swim and go for hikes and bike rides and stuff. I am also an expert hanger-outer. I really just like spending time with my friends, and going for coffee and just talking and laughing and stuff.

8. What's it like living in Canada? Do you like it more than Britain?!

Canada is really lovely. It’s very laid back and relaxed, and Toronto itself is a great city. When people talk multi-cultural, they really mean that here. And of course I love the countryside. Everyone in Ontario basically owns a cottage on a lake or something. There is so much space that it makes that possible. I couldn’t say I like it more than Britain though, because they each have their own unique qualities. I love London a lot, and I loved all the little hangouts I found over the course of my living there. And the history in Britain is just so rich and is everywhere you go. Ideally I would just mush all the good bits of both places together to make an uber-country. Adrienneland. Hmm . . . I like the sound of that . . .

9. What's your most cringe-worthy story?

Hmm I have a few, and many of them involve talking about someone in the loo only to discover they were in the stall next to me. Lesson: never gossip, or if you are going to gossip, check under all the doors first.

10. Describe yourself in 5 words

Fabulous, brilliant, hilarious, gorgeous, modest