Joanne Harris on how her career as a teacher shaped her career as a writer ‹ CrimeReads

Thus I was literally breast-fed the atmosphere of the High School; the scent of floor polish and plimsolls, school cabbage, chalk and cut grass. Some of her pupils still recall a little girl who spoke French, who sat under the teacher's desk, drawing on pieces of scrap paper. With such a start, and with so many stories of teaching already in my head, I seemed predestined for teaching. The fact that I liked stories too came as a useful bonus: schools are full of stories, and though it may often be draining, demoralizing and hard, teaching is never boring.