Yes. As I’m sure everyone is aware, Emily was severely injured in a car accident fifteen years ago. I used to tell her stories while she was recovering, and she liked to draw pictures of the characters. My publisher saw something we had been working on, just for fun, and the rest, as you say, is history.

It seems to be a real collaborative effort between you and Emily. Does that come with its own challenges?

(Laughs.) Of course, we’re family, which means we’re always going to have disagreements. But Emily’s real talent is knowing exactly what it is I am trying to describe to the readers and, somehow, she manages to reproduce it in her pictures.

Did Emily’s own disability influence the stories you wrote?

Emily doesn’t have a disability, but people will believe what they want to believe. My books are there to entertain, but also to educate, to inspire. So many people stay in one place for too long, become stagnated by society, by money. But there are all sorts of wonders out there, just waiting for us to find them.

What made you change direction in your writing, move away from children’s books?

As a writer I’m always looking to explore new ideas, find new challenges. Ophelia and the world we created became such a huge part of our lives for such a long time that it seemed necessary for me, for both of us, to draw a line under it all. Try something different.

Enchantment has had mixed reviews from readers, despite its literary success. How much of this do you think is due to the fact it’s aimed at an adult, rather than a younger, audience?

It doesn’t surprise me, because people come to expect a certain style, a certain subject, from well-known authors. And yet if I’d written another children’s book, it would have been criticized for not being about Ophelia. Life is about experimentation, about exploring the magic hidden within the world. I wanted to look at the links between science and philosophy, about how it affects the human spirit. About the finite amount of time any one of us has on this planet and how, when forced to confront that, we would each change our behavior, our outlook.

In reference to the main theme of Enchantment, if you knew this was your last day on Earth, how would you want to spend it?

You do know I’m dying? Oh, goodness, your face, I’m sorry. Death seems to have this effect on me. I forget how hard it is for other people to deal with.

What was the question again? Oh, yes, last day on Earth. Crikey (more laughter), wherever did I come up with that idea?

There is a place, on the coast of France, that holds a special place in my heart, not least because it’s where I wrote my first book. There’s something about the light there that is so peaceful. I would wake early, have warm croissants and strong, black coffee for breakfast, followed by a long walk along the beach, with the sea between my toes. Then I would dive beneath the waves and feel the strength of the tide, a reminder of all the power in this world we have no control over. Fresh langoustines roasted on an open fire and champagne drunk at sunset. All with Emily by my side.