Cressida Cowell: It wasn’t cool to be enthusiastic about books!

Cressida Cowell is on of the most beloved children's authors, selling millions and millions of books worldwide, including 'How to train your dragon' which is now a global film franchise too.In this episode of Full Disclosure with James O'Brien, Cressida tells us about her loving childhood with summers spent on Little Colonsay in the Inner Hebridies - a small, inhabited island that her environmentalist dad bought. From boarding school to sixth form, she charts back through her love or reading and illustrating to the struggles, and sometimes lack of, that she faced to become a successful author.A self-proclaimed misfit at school who struggle with concentration and organisation, Cressida tells james how she felt powerless as a child and loved reading stories with strong female heroes - something she strives for in her writing.But school never held her back, and with some good fortune of meeting the right people at the right time, Cressida discusses how she got her big break, 'How To Train Your Dragon' didn't become an instant hit, but a cult one and how Hiccup came to be.Find out more about Cressida Cowell and her new book How To Train Your Dragon School: Fight of the Flamestrike here.Full Disclosure is a Global ProductionListen or watch every Friday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

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This episode is 1 hour and 6 minutes long.

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This episode was published on June 19, 2026.

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