Peter is now also an author following publication of his first children's books, Cogheart, which was published in 2016 by Usborne. He is currently writing full time and the sequel to Cogheart is due to be published in 2017. A: I would like to take a trip on Ladybird, which is Anna Quinn's airship. I think she would be a fun pilot to travel with and I love the idea of a small and comfy dirigible - a bit like a caravan or barge - that flies about here and there.

A: If I had a mechanimal it would have to be an animal that didn't exist in the real world, like a dragon. My mechanical dragon would do everything a fictional dragon can do; fly, breathe fire, hoard gold... Because why go for reality when you can have any creature you want? There's actually a video of a real mechanical dragon somewhere on youtube - I think it was made by the same people as the elephant. Revolted at what they see, Lily and her friends decide to rescue the hybrid teenagers, but they are caught by Slimwood, the circus owner, and Madame Lyons-Mane, the sinister ring mistress. Skycircus is propelled along by a pulse-pounding plot, though this time the thrills are more adventure- than mysterydriven. Bunzl’s steampunk world is ever threatening and gripping, and his characters, A: We went to France to visit Les Machines de L'ile in Nantes, France, to see some modern automatons; you might remember the Great Elephant automaton that they brought to London a few years ago? You can see that moving about in the park, it is enormous, but they also have mechanical insects and a tree you can climb inside.With their adventure-driven plots and steampunk attributes, Peter Bunzl's Cogheart books would be enjoyed by any young reader wanting strong world-building with great characters and plenty of action. Q: There are some great characters in the story who are actually machines, or mechanicals. Which of the mechanicals in the book would you like to have at home with you? It is originally dated September 1, 2016, and set in the 1896 London. Named after a character’s cog implant, Cogheart’s protagonists are: a guardian foxy automaton called Malkin; a steampunk inventor’s daughter called Lily, aged eleven; and a boyish go-between named Robert whose mother’s whereabouts are unknown. Q: Do you have more adventures planned for Lily, Robert and Malkin? Can you give us a glimpse into the next Cogheart book, or what you are writing now?

Q: You also have some very exciting battles between airships; did you get to know a lot about airships while you were researching for the book? So my advice is, never throw anything away. (In terms of writing I mean. Obviously in real life throw some things away - you don't want to be drowning in stuff!) A: I love revisiting the world, yes, because it means I can find out more about it and the characters. As long as there are new places to take them and new mysteries to solve it will always be interesting.In the latest adventure, Lily, Robert and Malkin are lured to a circus where a flying girl leads the way into danger... The book explores questions around identity, difference and family.

A: I do have one more adventure currently planned for Lily, Robert and Malkin. I can't really say anything about it at the moment because it's top secret. But maybe there's a little clue to something that happens in the story in the answer about where I would travel in an airship. COGHEART is a full-throttle adventure story by PETER BUNZL, set in a deftly-realised Victorian world of 'mechanical' servants and pets, where steam-powered flying machines fill the skies. A: The idea that came first was the automatons or little machines. I was reading a history of automatons in the eighteenth century and how eighteenth century inventors were trying to bring these machines to life. There were lots of discussions at the time about these new machines, for example whether they would have a soul or not. So the whole idea of bringing machinery to life attracted me. But on her birthday, Lily receives a mysterious gift and an even stranger invitation. The present is her dead mother’s notebook and journal. Lily has no idea how these came into the sender’s possession. A: There is an amazing exhibition of robots at the science museum right now which is well worth a look. It's on until September. Otherwise, on my day off, I would probably go to the Tate Modern and see an art show. There's always something interesting on there and my partner is a painter so we go to see a lot of their painting exhibitions, which are always interesting. I also love the Renoir Cinema. They show a lot of original European films and documentaries - stuff you won't see down your local multiplex.

Q: This is your third Cogheart book, do you enjoy revisiting the world? How do you go about thinking of new adventures for your lead characters, Lily, Robert and Malkin, or did you have these planned out when you began the Cogheart series? I decided to set it in London because I've lived here all my life, its ingrained in me and I love books that have London as a character. I live in Islington which is great because it is so near to the centre of the city but you can also reach the parks like Hampstead Heath.

Lily has been fitted with it, but what her father has done is highly illegal, and Lily’s secret must never be revealed.Accompanied by her two human friends, Robert and Tolley, and her mechanical fox, Lily visits Slimwood’s High Top. But the experience is far from fun. Author Guy Bass introduces SCRAP, about one robot who tried to protect the humans on his planet against an army of robots. Now the humans need his... These two villains have a deadly plan to use and destroy Lily. How have they discovered the secret of the Cogheart? Could the notes in her mother’s book be part of the trap – or clues to how to escape the dangerous Skycircus?