When I was a child sleep was something that never came naturally to me. I never slept for more than about two hours at a time until I was about 5 or six, and even then it took a long time for me to drop off. I also could not seem to sleep in my own bed, preferring instead to clamber in beside my parents at around two or three o’clock every night. This continued well into my childhood, until I was about ten. I was even taken to the doctor because of it. There was nothing they could do, however, and my mild insomnia continues to this day, although now it catches up with me and I am often exhausted during the day. It was during this time that my love of reading was developed. I used to go to bed at around half-past seven or eight o’clock and read until well into the early hours of the morning, when I would climb into my parents bed and finally fall asleep. Enid Blyton was by far my favourite author, with my favourite books being Six Cousins at Mistletoe Farm, Six Cousins Again, The Naughtiest Girl Series and The Twins at St. Clare’s Series. I was never overly fond of her more popular books, The Famous Five and The Secret Seven, although I have read most of each series.