Wolfblood Creator and Writer Debbie Moon

Debbie Moon is a film and television writer living in mid-Wales. She has had over fifty short stories published in the UK and US, and her novel, Falling (Honno Press) was shortlisted for Welsh Book Of The Year. She has written for CBBC's The Sparticle Mystery, and is the creator and lead writer of the RTS-award-winning CBBC fantasy drama series Wolfblood. She also has several feature scripts, and a supernatural drama series, in development.

Why do you think the CBBC and Disney promos for "Wolfbood" each give a slightly different perception of the show?

Wolfblood is a show that seems to appeal to a cry wide audience. The stated audience for CBBC is 8 to 12-year-olds, the Disney audience is more like 8 to 14 - and we have quite a lot of adult fans! So it's a question of working out how to market the show to different target audiences. In the end, I'm not sure it matters, because Wolfblood's themes - friendship, loyalty, family, the tension between being different and fitting in, the search for identity -  appeal across all ages.

What are some of your favorite independent films and shows?

'Independent' is a tricky word, especially when applied to television, but… I'm a big fan of intelligent but fun science fiction and supernatural fiction, so things like Pacific Rim, Looper, Source Code, and on the small screen, Being Human and In The Flesh. I'm also a huge fan of The Shield and Leverage, both incredibly underrated shows. And I have an embarrassing weakness for The Fast And The Furious movies...

What sort of things do you study and consider when watching a film or show?

Like most people, if I'm really enjoying a show, I'm too into it to really analyse any thing. Once I've watched it enough times to get down to thinking about, however… Character is the key to everything. Interesting, unpredictable characters who aren't necessarily nice but whom we empathise with. Then a plot that's plausible but unpredictable, the richness of the world the writers are creating, and the balance of action, tension and character scenes.

 What are five things you're thankful for?

I expect most people say the same worthy things here, so just to ring the changes, I'm going to pick some less worthy but very enjoyable things!  Good walking boots. Bakewell tarts. Acting - I'm constantly in awe of what actors do… Computers (I started off writing on a typewriter, and boy, computers are easier…) And the Welsh countryside.

What's the most recent book you've read? Did you enjoy it?

The last book I read was A Cowboy Detective, by Charles Siringo; the true story of the author's exploits as an undercover detective in the Wild West. It wasn't quite as rich and detailed as I would have liked - more a fairly bare record of facts -  but it was a fascinating read, and a whole new perspective on the 'lawless' West.

What is one thing you wish you could tell your younger self?

Follow your instincts. But I was a pretty bolshie kid, so I probably wouldn't have listened anyway!

Would you ever use crowdfunding to fund a future project?

Crowdfunding is fantastic for producers and directors - the people who enjoy actually getting things done. I'm very much a writer - I want to do the writing, then hand it over to someone who can make it all happen, so I can go off an do more writing! So personally, probably not...

Is there a film or show that you believe everyone must see without question and why?

That's a tough one, because the great stories are so personal - what leaves one viewer cold might touch another person deeply. For anyone interested in storytelling, which on a  screen or in any other form, I'd say The Prestige, which is a superb piece of adaptation, of visual storytelling, of world-building. The way Christopher Nolan uses time, scene order, POV and the withholding of information in the film is extraordinary  (inspired by Christopher Priest's amazing novel, of course).