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Commonly the opinions of readers and critics are like parallel lines: never meet. Diana Wynne Jones is an extraordinary exception.

Clever, imaginative and original, create places and characters both reliable and surprising. Some readers asked me to send Diana a gift from Brazil, in order to demonstrate how Brazilian readers love her. Don't mind: I will do it.

Geração Editorial edits the books of Diana Wynne Jones in Brasil. And do it well.

Thanks for Alberto Carmo on translation.

What is the difference between juvenile and adult literature?

The difference is not very great.

Mainly juvenile literature will tend more to fantasy, since this is the genre that more young people find meaning in than any other. Fantasy is infinitely versatile and capable of expressing very complex matters in the form of a story.

This is why so many adults also enjoy juvenile literature. But the difference is that adults do not read carefully. I find that when I write for adults I have to keep reminding them of essential facts in the story. Young people read much more carefully, so it is only necessary to tell them something once.

Perhaps the brief answer is that juvenile literature can be shorter.

This is hard to explain, isn't it?

I wonder if it may have to do with traditional attitudes to children in different countries. The British tradition is not one of physical contact.

I do NOT mean that we don't hug and kiss our children. We do. But we don't keep them by our sides for as long as people do in most other countries. We mostly insist on an early bedtime. And in order to make a child feel loved and relaxed at bedtime, we read them stories or give them books.

I think that a long tradition of stories specially for children arose this way. Any supremacy is due to the British having had about a hundred years more practice in the field.

Howl's Moving Castle is nearly to be a long-featured film directed for the Oscar winner Hayao Myiazaki. How do you feel about it? Are you engaged on this production?

I feel very happy that this film is being made. Miyazaki-san is a Genius and it so happens that I have admired his work for many, many years.

When he decided to make a film based on HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE I couldn't believe my luck. I know, of course, that there are bound to be changes made to the story, but this is usually necessary when any film is being made. I accept this. But I myself have nothing to do with the production.

I was consulted initially on the sort of landscapes needed, but Miyazaki-san decided that English landscapes were not appropriate to his vision and decided instead to use landscapes from Alsace in France, which I do not know. I am very excited and can't wait to see the film.

Most authors are under religious fundamentalists fire. Are you safe?

Not altogether. Our piano-tuner is a religious fundamentalist. I gave him one of my books for his children and he sent it back to me because it concerns witchcraft which, he said, takes the name of the Lord in vain.

What is your relationship with computer?

Uneasy.My computer has opinions of its own.

I use it in writing only on my final draft of a book - otherwise I write longhand on unlined paper. In this final draft I examine and rewrite almost every sentence.

And we fight, my computer and I. It disapproves of my sentence-structure and quite often tries to make my book look like an office document. It also objects to being switched off and usually turns itself on again several times after I have finished with it.

I like anyone who tells a story that compels you to turn the pages. But I do like to laugh too.

I think Terry Pratchett is a tremendously good juvenile author for these reasons. I loved his latest book, THE WEE FREE MEN.