I get my inspiration in many different ways. Sometimes an image will just come into my mind and stay there until I turn it in to a character, other times Terri will discribe a character she particularly wants to see, and then of course I also spend a lot of time looking through Brian's sketchbooks to find characters I want to use. Sometimes after weve all been talking about the storyline, Brian will disappear into his studio and come out later with new sketches for as scene or character.

Once you read the completed story, do you ever change the figures?

We try to work out what figures we will use before the final story is completed. Neither Terri nor I want to surprise each other with unexpected changes! I do keep adding things until the photos are shot though. Once they're taken, there isn't much we can do, apart from reshooting, to change things.

How long does it take you to create one of the more major figures in the book?

The large main figures usually take about a week to make. The smaller ones don't take as much time and I've learned to work quickly over the years.

How many different "Sneezles" did you create for this book?

There is one main Sneezle and then another body with six different heads to use to try to cover whatever emotion we might need. Twig was only one figure in the first book but now she has three different heads in this one. Even the winter child gets a few different expressions.

All of your figures have such personality: Do you develop a special relationship with each of them?

I often develop special realationships with the figures I make. Sneezle has such a life now, I can't think of him as just something I've made.  As we work with each character we develop storylines that go beyond the bood itself. At this point, I find it very hard to part with any of the figures we've used. Its becoming a problem because they're taking over the house!