Louise is 'Next JK' winner

The winner of BBC News Online's children's writing competition talks of her dyslexia, being the next JK Rowling and her own writing.

Louise Arnold, from Bognor Regis in West Sussex, says she can be found most days "typing away at some story or other".

A 24-year-old drama graduate based in Canterbury, Kent, she is trying to juggle her literary ambitions with finding a part-time job to pay the mortgage and overcoming her dyslexia.

It's fantastic that JK Rowling has got so many kids into reading Louise Arnold Read the winning extract

Her 100-word opening paragraph for a children's book about a ghost called Gray Arthur caught the attention of BBC News Online users, taking more than 21% of the 9,000 votes.

"I'd love to turn the Ghost paragraph into a fuller story," she said.

"I've already got some plot scrawled out on different pieces of paper scattered around the house. "

She said she has "always wanted to be a writer" and has always been writing.

"All my life I've been surrounded by little stories or poems written on inappropriately small scraps of paper, or the back of napkins, which have been hoarded away to just collect dust or become an unhealthy fire hazard."

Her dyslexia was not diagnosed until she went to university.

"Everything that was rampantly confusing in the past suddenly made sense, such as why it felt such an uphill struggle to read books sometimes, and why a grown woman still couldn't remember her times tables, or anyone's birthdays."

Ms Arnold has not read any of JK Rowling's work

She says she mainly writes science fiction and fantasy stories as well as "short little articles on things that amuse or irritate me".

Her favourite children's writers are Roald Dahl, C S Lewis and the fabulous Faraway Tree books by Enid Blyton.

As for JK Rowling, she admits she has not read any of the Potter books.

"Being dyslexic, reading can sometimes feel like a bit of a struggle, so I don't read half as many books as I ought to.

"I have a whole book case of books I've bought, and haven't got round to reading yet."

"I think its fantastic the fact that she's got so many kids into reading, but shame on me I haven't actually ever read her work."