I'm Cally Highfield, but I've been known online as 'Twinklestah' (or variations thereof) since 2002.

I was born in Liverpool, 1985. It's alright here. I like the lamb bananas, at least.

I've always loved being creative - I took up drawing as a hobby in 1997 (at the age of 11), gaining inspiration from my favourite things at the time: cartoons & the comics I read (Sonic the Hedgehog and so on). Years later, and things haven't really changed much. I still get my inspiration from cartoons, particularly traditional, old-school animation, and though I enjoyed some, I'm not really a fan of CGI animated movies. I prefer good old cel-shading and frame-by-frame any day!
My inspirations also include the usual answers such as life, my friends and day to day living, and more out there stuff such as mythology, dreams, anthropomorphism, fantasy, fairy tales, nature and so on.

I draw a lot of different things. I would describe myself as a cartoonist at heart, with a blend of pop art and childrens illustration thrown into the mix.
My favourite things to draw are cartoon animals, and my favourite things to paint are people - particularly those who crop up in my stories.
I love sketching most of all, and will happily lose hours each day with a sketchbook and pencil and some good music on in the background.
I need to be more organised when it comes to scanning my sketches - lately, when I scan something, I have a backlog of 20+ other sketches/unfinished drawings and so on to scan as well.

As for my writing, my first novel, Rose Petal Tea, was written when I was sixteen. It wasn't out until four years later, when I decided enough was enough: I want my books to be accessible to others!
My next novel, Indigo Sky, had been six years in the making, technically (if you include character & plot development - I "officially" began work on Indigo Sky in 2005, after Rose Petal Tea was published), and again, I reached a point where I'd had enough of a novel being up in the air (or, on my harddrive) - I had to do something with it!

I'm currently at university in my home city, studying Imaginative Writing. It's a wonderful course, and it's given me a lot of inspiration.
Although I do still have several plans for other novels, the course has given me the drive to persue poetry (something I enjoyed doing as a hobby, then gave up for several years until recently), writing journals (particularly travel journals - I love going on adventures!) and short stories.

I'm also interested in making zines. I love reading other peoples' zines, and I've wanted to work on my own (which, despite having no real "plot" or destination, has a title: "Moontower") for a long time.
When I do make zines, they will most likely be about nostalgia, or the places I've seen and the memories I've picked up along the way.

Art and writing aside...in my spare time, I love taking photographs of pretty much anything & everything, catstalking, going out for lovely meals (Chinese & Indian are my favourites), adventures, cartoons, reading, charity shops, and buying more books than can possibly fit on my bookshelves.