I prefer non-fiction, autobiographies and biographies. I enjoy reading about how people have shaped their lives, history of events and things that have actually taken place, as a genre fictional physiological thrillers or crime novels.

I do not have any specific author that I necessarily gravitate too, but I tend to prefer contemporary writers and autobiographies.

I have a love, perhaps an obsession, with philosophy and self help/improvement books. Some of them are gems on how to live a better life, others leave you slightly confused, but one in particular, The Road Less Travelled, I have reread more than others.

How Starbucks Changed My Life by Michael Gates Gill, a fascinating little self discovery book recommended to me as an easy holiday type read, but it is a wonderfully crafted story about a mans personal odyssey, and how a simple little coffee shop gave him everything he had been missing in his life. Interestingly enough it is being made into a film starring Tom Hanks, but read it before you see it.

My secondary school English teacher Ms Stapleton, sadly she passed away last year, but she always encouraged me and told me to embrace my creative side. I was not particularly good with numbers at school, but I loved to write. Ms Stapleton did not care about spelling or grammar, she just told me to open the page and write from the heart, and that's what I try to do.

That is a tough question…. it's a bit like asking you your favourite movie, and it changes every year. There are the obvious ones like The Lovely Bones, The Dan Brown books, The Kite Runner etc and even a New Zealander movie director named Peter Jackson made the The Lord of the Rings trendy again!

There are so many to choose from in a rugby sense, both from a positive and negative perspective. Ronan O'Gara's last minute drop kick against Wales and then Stephen Jones miss at goal, for Ireland to finally win another long overdue Grandslam Title was fantastic. As was Munster's and Leinster's wins in the European Cups. For me the Munster v All Blacks match in Limerick was unbelievable, the Maoris in the Munster team were given permission to lead the Haka against the All Blacks, which will never happen again, followed by the closeness of the game, the camaraderie and the respect - it was an incredible atmosphere!

I was originally inspired when I lived in New Zealand. I had always had a creative side to me despite being in a perceived macho sport like rugby, and I started writing children's stories for a young girl that was suffering from leukaemia, she loved stories about the seaside with dolphins and whales so that's what I did. After a while a publisher approached me and that is how it all started. As a memory to her (sadly she died aged 8) all the money raised from the sale of my books both here and in New Zealand has gone to various children's charities, that's what inspires me the most. Last year I was commissioned to write "The Wicked Wolf" for the Asthma Society, and this year it is "Bones, the story of a lazy teenager" for the Osteoporosis society.

Yes, when I lived in Deans Grange I used to pop over all the time, (it was just over the road) although I tended to read what I wanted to in the relaxed environment of the library rather than take the books home. I am a great browser, but I have trouble staying with one book, I tend to start a few and see which one interests me in the first few pages otherwise I move on.

Books that are slightly wacky or off beat, when I was growing up I loved anything from Enid Blyton, like the Famous Five or the Secret Seven, but today their are so many children's books to chose from, Roald Dahl remains so different, quite black, as was earlier books from Spike Milligan like Bad Jelly the Witch. Today books like Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak and of course Harry Potter are fantastic. But for me every child must have Roald Dahl's Witches and Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Seuss, they are timeless.

No, not really, although at the time it was very unusual, and to date I think I remain the only rugby player in the world to publish a series of non sporting children's books. At the time I started writing, I was well known on the rugby pitch as a rugged up and coming forward. Suddenly I am writing books for children, the stereo- type does not really fit. I remember coming home to my university flat in New Zealand after the first book came out and seeing all these TV vans and cameras outside, I thought something terrible must have happened, but they just wanted to know why I had written children's books! People are still fixated by it, especially given that I unfortunately don't not have children of my own, which makes it even more bizarre. I am presently working on two books and rugby people will be delighted to know one is about George Hook the other about X Factor.