3D Review - Gangster School - Kate Wiseman - Author Interview

What was your favourite children’s book as a child?

That’s a hard question! There are so many to choose from. As a child, I used to get told off for reading in the shower and ruining my books. I was very dedicated.

There are two that really stand out in my memory: the first is Five Children and It by E Nesbit. I loved the Psammead (sand fairy) with his lumpy body and grumpy attitude and his eyes on stalks. He grants wishes to the children who dig him up, and they always backfire in some outlandish way.

My other childhood standout is My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell. I was green with envy at Durrell’s unconventional life on the island of Corfu, enchanted by his descriptions of nature, and his family’s high jinks made me laugh my grubby knee-high socks off.

What is your favourite children’s book as an adult?

Another tricky question. There is so much brilliant kids’ lit out there. I’ve read Phillip Pullman’s Northern Lights countless times and my family never tire of trying to work out what form someone’s daemon would take. Beware though – it may cause offence. Another favourite is Ross Wellford’s wacky, funny, touching Time Travelling with a Hamster, which incidentally also gets my vote for Best Book Title of All Time.

What do you think makes children’s books so inspirational?

One of the great tragedies of growing up is that we’re encouraged to downplay the importance of imagination in favour of other, more ‘practical’ qualities. Kids’ books embrace imagination and celebrate its power to transport us beyond the confines of the everyday.

As life becomes more and more pressurised and kids are pushed to conform to society’s expectations regarding everything from passing endless assessments and exams to the way they look, children’s books are a portal to countless other worlds where they can live a million different lives. They have no limits.

Why did you start writing for children?

When I finally got the courage to write fiction instead of essays, it never occurred to me to write anything else. I love the freedom and spontaneity of kids’ lit. It allows me to pour my overactive imagination and daft sense of humour into my writing. I still can’t imagine writing for adults and doubt that I ever will.

What made you want to write this book?

My son had just gone off to university and I was moping around, biting my lip every time I passed his bedroom door, and I needed to concentrate on something else. I decided to stuff all my fears of failure into a little box, lock it away in a dusty corner of my mind and have a go at fulfilling my childhood ambition of being a writer. I’ve worked with kids for a long time and writers are encouraged to write about what they know, so a school was an easy choice.


When my son was smaller, he used to disconcert people who asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up by saying ‘an evil genius’. That got me thinking – what would a school for young felons actually be like? And what would happen if you got sent there, but you weren’t actually a criminal at all?

What is your favourite aspect of writing for children?

Being able to give free reign to my imagination. I especially love concocting a rich history for Blaggard’s School for Tomorrow’s Tyrants. To me, the characters of Sir Thomas Blaggard, the school’s founder, who was born in a mud hut on the banks of the Thames and survived by eating stinging nettles and wrestling bears until he found his criminal feet, and Sally Masters, the eighteenth century Highwaywoman (nickname Blunderbuss Sally) and Foggarty and Spinks, the body snatchers, make the school what it is today. I also love thinking up situations that make me giggle.

Kate Wiseman is a wife, mother and cat minion who lives in Saffron Walden, Essex. Her many years experience of working in schools prompted her to begin writing about Blaggard’s School for Tomorrow’s Tyrants, the world’s best educational establishment for trainee villains.

Gangster School was shortlisted for several prizes and was published first in Germany, by Piper Verlag in October 2017. Piper has just released Gangster School 2: The Brotherhood of Brimstone and there are more to follow. Gangster School is also being published in summer 2018, by Uitgeverij, Holland.

Kate has a degree in English and Creative Writing and a Masters in English Literature. Gangster School is her first novel.

My Colourful Chameleon by Leonie Roberts and Mike Byrne - 3D review - Author Interview

Today we are continuing our 3D review of My Colourful Chameleon, with an interview with author Leonie Roberts.

What was your favourite children’s book as a child?

Ooo this is a tricky one. I can remember enjoying Jill Murphy's "Five Minutes Peace". I think this was my Mum's favourite to read.

What is your favourite children’s book as an adult?

At the moment my favourite is Roald Dahl's "The Twits" because I have recently re-read it and have been reminded of how fabulous it is.

What do you think makes children’s books so inspirational?

They are a child's first introduction to books. The unique way that the pictures and words work together can ignite childrens' imaginations and really bring familiar and fantastical worlds to life.

Why did you start writing for children?

Me being a Primary School Teacher probably had a large impact on why I started writing for children instead of adults. Initially I wrote poetry about children for adults but then the ideas for stories for children began to pop into my head. It has definitely helped me to get into the mindset of a child by spending so much time with them. There is never a day working with young children were you don't come home with a funny story about what they have said or done. Children are amazing!

When writing the book, do you think about the illustrations will interact with the text?

Yes, most authors to consider how the illustrations will interact with the text and I could certainly picture what would be going on each page. I didn't give any illustration notes though so Mike Byrne had completely free reign and I am delighted with his interpretation of the text.

Do you love chameleons?

Sadly I haven't met one in real life but it is definitely on my to do list for this year. I think a trip to the zoo is called for!

LeoLeonie Roberts (1984) was born in Plymouth and raised in South Liverpool. Although as a child she did not enjoy reading herself, Leonie has always been mesmerised by listening to wonderful stories. She grew up with the tales of Roald Dahl, The Pongwiffy series by Kaye Umansky and classics such as "Stig of the dump" by Clive King.

Around the age of seventeen, Leonie’s love of reading began and she went on to study English Literature and Language at university. Since then, Leonie has trained as a Primary school teacher and has spent three wonderful years living and teaching in Italy. It was there in 2013 that she began writing for children.

Leonie is now back living in Liverpool with her new writing companion, Chester the dog. She has written a number of picture book stories and can be often found in local libraries sitting on small chairs, making her way through a giant pile of picture books (whilst trying to blend in).

#BooksMadeBetter Interview with David Stevens founder of Knight Of

Diversity is a hot topic, whether it is white-washing on the silver screen or seats in the Houses of Parliament, it is a conversation that is being translated into action in many industries.

Publishing is no different. Steps are being seen to be taken to promote diversity, eg with many BAME competitions and scholarships being set up to seek out authors and illustrators that reflect a varied society.

Shiny new publishers Knights Of (as in of the round table where everyone is equal) launched just last week on a pledge to increase diversity behind the scenes. The news was met with a frenzy of anticipation of just how this new publisher was going to rise to the challenge of doing things differently.

Aimeé Felone and David Stevens have launched Knights Of with a stated aim to approach publishing in a new way and to ‘DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY - and in this way, to make books for every kid.

We at SOTB are delighted to share this interview with Knights Of founder David Stevens to share his vision of this new publishing company, how he plans to make a difference … and just what that difference will be.

The publishing industry is really focused on diversity at the moment, with lots of publishers trying to seek greater submissions from diverse authors/diverse intern applications etc. What are the main barriers currently to finding a job in publishing and what will ‘Knights Of’ do differently that might address them?

We’re inspired by what publishing and other children's media have been doing, every initiative and call for openness has strengthened our belief that now is the right time for an inclusive publisher. KNIGHTS OF is trying to address as many barriers as it can – making ourselves available via live chat to answer questions, if there’s a barrier we’ll work to address it.



We love the idea of a ‘fairer team’ – what sort of different opportunities are you going to offer?

We love the idea too! We’re offering paid, remote freelance positions on every aspect of publishing a title. We’re hoping to circumvent prohibitive costs of having to live in major cities, and where possible, we will aim to pair an experienced hand with an entry/mid-level candidate for added value.



You say that Knights Of is “creating a better pipeline: working with writers, illustrators, agents, retailers and other publishers to make books better” and it is really interesting that you are looking at so many aspects of how an author’s work gets to readers. Which of these changes of approach will make the biggest difference to the books you will publish?

It is the one small change that we’re hoping will have the most impact. If your editor, designer, marketer, production team, publicist and sales team are all from broadly different backgrounds the end result will be different.



We have noticed you are accepting direct submissions as well as through agents. What is the main reason for this? Is this a long-term plan or just a short-term ‘open window’?

We’ll keep Live Chat open as long as we can – it’s not going away any time soon. We’re working hard to make sure we’re as accessible as possible – being available as much as possible is part of that.



You mention the relationship with retailers. Do you have plans to reach readers differently other than through the usual channels of bookshops and school libraries or online?

One of the biggest pieces of work we want to undertake is working with retailers to bring non-traditional readers into bookstores. Partnering with as many communities, booksellers, librarians and readers as we can.



Talking of readers, has there been any research into whether there is lower interest in books by children with BAME backgrounds?

Not that we’ve seen. (Cheeky, but with so few books published that meet the criteria would any research be reliable?). Look at what Empathy Lab can do – proving that engagement with as many characters as possible has positive results.



Do you plan to publish in other languages to reach those children who have English as a second language? Will you take submissions in other languages?

We’re just getting started – our first focus is home-grown talent. We’ll look at submissions in translation but, for now, it’s unlikely we’ll be publishing into the UK and Irish markets in multiple languages.



It sounds like we are witnessing the start of a really exciting, forward-thinking publisher. How can we get involved?

Sign up to the #BooksMadeBetter newsletter [http://knightsof.media/#sign-up/] – come write for BooksMadeBetter.com – and tell everyone who might be interested about us. We’re a new start-up company so always willing to talk investment at varying levels.


So - they are being different and being very open, so what are you waiting for - sounds like a brilliant opportunity to get involved. SOTB will certainly be watching this space and wish Knights Of the very best for getting it dreams realised.

Lastly I must say a BIG SOTB THANK YOU to David for taking time out of the hectic start up week to be interviewed and to wish Knights Of the very best of luck. We look forward to reviewing some of their books in due course!

Find out more at Knights Of Website


You can also follow Knight on Twitter @_KnightsOf

3D Review - A Lottie Lipton Adventure - The Egyptian Enchantment - Author Interview with Dan Metcalf

3D Review -  Lottie Lipton  -  Author Interview with Dan Metcalf

Dan Metcalf is a writer and author of children's books such as The Lottie Lipton Adventures. He lives in Devon with his wife and two sons. He enjoys books, films, comics and making up stories. He has so far absolutely refused to grow up.

What was your favourite children’s book as a child? 

I remember reading the BFG by Roald Dahl and being amazed by the world that he created and the way that he described all the giants, the land in which they lived and of course the food they ate. It helped that my headteacher at the time had read the book in assembly to the whole school, giving the characters fantastic voices and acting out every scene.

What is your favourite children’s book as an adult?

I think my favourite author is Philip Reeve, but I would be hard pressed to pick a favourite by him. Mortal Engines was the first book that got me into his writing, so I'd have to say that, but Here Lies Arthur is masterful.

What do you think makes children’s books so inspirational?

Children’s imaginations are absolutely limitless and I think the best books tap into that. The author takes the vast aircraft hangar that is a child's mind and fills it with amazing characters, out-of-this-world landscapes and compelling plots. An author is just a director, filling the stage in the child's mind with actors and sets, but the stage is infinite and the budget unlimited! Adult books might tend to stick with what the adult knows, occasionally throwing a tasty crime or two, but the best ones stretch the reader's mind and get them to imagine something outside of their own experience.

Why did you start writing for children?

I started out writing scripts for radio and TV, but I was swept away with inspiration after working in a bookshop and discovering the books of Philip Pullman, Tim Bowler, JK Rowling and David Almond. I soon realised that I was able to achieve everything I wanted to do as a writer by writing children's books. I wanted to inspire, educate and entertain. Hopefully I've managed to do some of those!

What made you want to write this book?

I love adventures and wanted to create a book that would get the reader using their puzzle-solving skills as well. I also wanted a girl to be at the centre as I felt there was lots of adventures involving boys.

What is your favourite aspect of writing for children?

Getting out to meet them! I do a lot of events at schools, festivals and libraries and it is great (and a little scary) to stand in front students and hear them talk about reading, writing and their favourite books. I love the activity of writing as well, which is good as that's what I spend a lot of time doing, but I can often look up from my notebook at the end of the day and realise I haven't spoken to anyone all day! I think it's important that I get out and talk to children as I think I might go mad if I didn't (some might say that's already happened...)

Do have to do much research for the Lottie Lipton Adventures?

A fair bit, yes. Most of the artefacts mentioned in the books can actually be found in the British Museum (a few aren't, like the legendary Trident of Neptune and the magical Cairo Cat) I used a lot of books that were written by the British Museum staff to find them. I also ended up using the British Museum website, which everyone should take a look at; they've a great educational section called Young Explorers which was a great help when writing The Lottie Lipton Adventures!

Questions from Lilianna our child reviewer:

Did you visit the British Museum when you were writing this book?

I've only visited twice in my life; once when I was ten and again twenty years later! I wrote the first Lottie Lipton story soon after that second visit but I haven't had a chance to revisit it recently. Maybe I'll only visit it again in twenty years time, and again twenty years after that? That's the great thing with museums, they'll always preserve history while the rest of us get older and older!

Do you do adult puzzles like Sudoku all the time?

Not all the time, no. I love doing them but I'm not that good at them! I spend most of my time writing books but I find that if I ever get stuck then if I do a puzzle or two it keeps my mind turning over without distracting me. I stick to the paper ones, because if I used a phone app or internet games I'd be too tempted to sit and waste time on websites like Facebook and YouTube!

Tommy V Cancer - 3D Review - The Terrible Tale of Melody Doom - Tommy Donbavand – Editor Interview with Danny Pearson

Today we are concluding our 3D review of Tommy Donbavand's, The Terrible Tale of Melody Doom with an interview with his editor Danny Pearson.

Danny Pearson is senior editor at Badger Learning. To find out more about Danny and Badger follow
@Danny_D_Pearson  and @BadgerLearning.

What was your favourite children’s book as a child?

I would love to say something romantic like at the age of four I had my head in The Wind in the Willows or War and Peace, which are pretty much the same book, but I can’t. I loved non-fiction books especially a book that may not have been entirely appropriate for me at a young age - The Usborne Guide to the Supernatural World. Worth a look see if you ever get the chance. The images alone are horrific. I don’t know how Usborne thought it was appropriate for anyone under the age of 18! But no complaints from me as they all helped mold me into the human I am today.

What is your favourite children’s book as an adult?

I have become a massive fan of picture books. To tell a story using a very limited amount of words (sometimes now words) is a tricky task. A lot of professional writers struggle when faced with the limits of a low word count. I am a very visual being and I love to see how the illustrator has interpolated the writers words.

It is impossible for me to narrow down all the books I have seen and to say ‘That one... that one there is the best there has ever been!’ But I will say among the best modern picture books I have seen are The Day the Crayons Quit and Oi Frog. Again, worth a look see if you ever get the chance.

What do you think makes children’s books so inspirational?

Passion!!!... and a good marketing team who have a bottomless pot of gold as their budget,

Illustration's by Peter Richardson

What made you want to work in children’s publishing?

I heard it paid well. I can confirm that it does not. Unless you are JK Rowling.

But in all honesty I used to work in a Waterstones store. I was promoted to looking after the entire Children’s department and from there my love of children’s books came flooding back. I wanted to be on the ‘other side’. I wanted the chance to make the books!

What makes The Terrible Tale of Melody Doom stand out?

The plot is great and it grabbed my attention as soon as it arrived onto my desk.

Following her supervillain parents being captured and locked away in jail, Melody Doom is adopted by a family who couldn’t be more different to hers.

Her goody two shoes foster family are a complete nightmare. They sing songs, wear bright colours and, worst of all, play charades every night! Melody knows she needs to escape, but how?

Hatching a plan involving her fluffy pink foster sister as a sidekick, Melody attempts to break into the jail and release her parents. But will the pony-loving princess give the game away?

Find out in The Terrible Tale…

I loved it!

Badger Books Gems are designed for challenged readers. Does this impact how you edit these books?

Massively! Thankfully Tommy is an expert at writing for reluctant/ struggling readers and knows what language we can use. The imagery in these books can say more than what a 100 words can a lot of the time. Tricky, long and hard to decode words are out in most cases. This does make it very difficult for an author to keep the story entertaining but the prized authors I work with make it look easy.

 

Tommy V Cancer was initially started to create moral support for Tommy and his family in the difficult time, but as his battle has gone on, the reality of being a jobbing writer (like any self-employed professional) has reared its ugly head; income. So if after reading this of any you wish to find out more about Tommy’s battle, or how to support him, visit: Tommy V Cancer.

Also Don't forget to check out the other posts in the Tommy V Cancer Blog Tour...

3D Review – Lying About Last Summer by Sue Wallman - Editor Interview with Lucy Rogers of Scholastic UK

Rounding up our 3D review of Sue Wallman's 'Lying about Last Summer', we have an interview with the book's editor,  Lucy Rogers who is an editor at Scholastic UK where she works on a variety of fiction books for 7+ readers right up to teen/crossover.

 

What was your favourite children’s book as a child? 

Ooh this is a tough one, but I think I’d have to pick Enid Blyton’s The Enchanted Wood for capturing my imagination and making me believe in lands above the clouds. 

What is your favourite children’s book as an adult? 

The books that I’m lucky enough to work on every day! And also Harry Potter – a magical world that I discovered as a child but re-enter regularly as an adult.

What do you think makes children’s books so inspirational? 

With children’s books, there are no limits in terms of creativity and possibility – worlds can be entered through wardrobes and cats can wear boots. I like too that children bring their own boundless imaginations to the reading process, making these stories even more colourful and exciting. 

What do you love about ‘Lying about Last Summer’ and what makes it stand out? 

I love a lot of things about this book. Firstly, Sue’s beautiful, descriptive writing which brings her characters and the atmospheric setting of the summer camp to life (I could almost smell the chlorine in the swimming pool scene!). Then there’s the story itself, which – from the intriguing opening to the twisty, heart-pounding ending – had me hooked. But, as well as being completely gripping, Lying about Last Summer has an emotional heart at its core, and for me, this really sets it apart from the competition. 

How many people have worked on ‘Lying about Last Summer’ and for how long? 

Quite a few, as publishing is a hugely collaborative process. Another editor, Lena McCauley, worked with me on the text itself, Seam Williams designed a striking cover that really captures the feel of the story, and then there were all the other departments: Production, Publicity, Sales, who helped get the book to print and to an audience. In terms of how long this process took, I first read the manuscript in March 2015 and the book is publishing this week, so just over a year. 

What made you want to work in children’s publishing? 

A job where I got to read every day and work with talented and creative individuals was always the dream. I feel very lucky to be part of this lovely industry, and to have serious business meetings about pirates and unicorns! 

What are the things that changed most from first draft to final draft and is there anything you wish you had done differently? 

There weren’t any drastic changes from first to final draft. Rather, we focused on really bringing out the brilliant twists and turns in the plot – to thrill and surprise the reader – and making Skye’s reaction to the messages from her sister even bigger. Another thing we looked at was making sure the layout of the summer camp was as clear as possible. Sue ended up scribbling lots of home-drawn maps! 

‘Lying about Last Summer’, deals with some very serious, does this effect the editorial advice and support that you gave to Sue? 

Sue made our job very easy in this respect, by writing a story that explores difficult and often distressing subjects in a sensitive and believable way. As an editor, it was my job to ensure that the subject matter was appropriate and relevant for the teen audience, something Sue mastered without ever seeming to talk down to the reader or censor her writing (no easy feat!).

3D Review – Lying About Last Summer - Author Interview with Sue Wallman

As part of our 3D review of newly published Lying About Last Summer we have an interview with author Sue Wallman.

What was your favourite children’s book as a child?

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild. I read it to my girls when they were little and I was surprised by how convoluted and wordy the sentences were – I didn’t remember that at all. I also binge-read Enid Blyton, The Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder and frankly anything else I could lay my hands on. I wish there’d been a Young Adult section in the bookshop and library when I was growing up.

What is your favourite children’s book as an adult?

Maggot Moon by Sally Gardener. Beautiful and devastating. The perfect mix.

Press here is read Space on The Bookshelf's review of Maggot Moon

What do you think makes children’s books so inspirational?

They have the potential to make a huge impact. The ones that resonate stay with you all your life.

Why did you start writing for children?

When I was trying to find my authorial voice, I had several false starts before I realised I really wanted to write Young Adult fiction.

What made you want to write ‘Lying about Last Summer’?

I liked the idea of something bad happening in an idyllic setting. I wasn’t very sure what I was writing at the beginning but I knew it was about loss in some shape or form. I’d written too much character-led stuff before so I worked really hard on the psychological/thriller angle. 

What is your favourite aspect of writing for children?

Creating a world that teenagers can escape into. It feels exciting. But also daunting because I know that when I meet my readers they won’t hold back on what they thought of the book.

‘Lying about Last Summer’, deals with some very serious issues, was it difficult getting the portrayal and messages of them right?

That aspect didn’t feel difficult. Perhaps because I have teenage daughters and know to a certain extent what their generation has to deal with, and what worries them.

How much research did you do for ‘Lying about Last Summer’?

Bits and pieces along the way. The camp at Morley Hill was created from a mix of various places I’ve stayed at, observing adventurous activities my daughters have done, and some online research. The girls have laughed long and hard about how much I appear to know so much about paintballing and high ropes etc because these are most definitely outside my comfort zone.

Come back tomorrow to read our interview with 'Lying about Last Summer's editor Lucy Rogers!

3D review – author interview – Jo Cotterill and Cathy Brett

The fantastic, fast-paced thriller, Electrigirl, is a collaboration between Jo Cotterill and Cathy Brett to tell the story of twelve-year-old Holly Sparkes in a new and exciting way.

Holly's story of how she discovers she has superhero powers - just as she is called on to foil a sinister plot in her town involving her best friend - is told partly in page-turning prose, and partly in comic-strip. It's an imaginative and appealing format, great fun and will introduce readers to the whole comic-book format,

Jo and Cathy join other superheroes at the book launch for Electrigirl

The story hurtles along and the discovery of super powers and a dastardly plot will appeal equally to boys and girls, from around eight upwards. Holly gains her powers when she is struck by lightning and must rely on her superhero-obsessed brother to control her powers and stop her blowing everything up, so there are plenty of comedy moments in with all the action.

Interview with author Jo Cotterill

What was your favourite children’s book as a child?

I had way too many to pick just one! But I adored (in turn), Little House on the Prairie, The Ordinary Princess (by M M Kaye), Enid Blyton’s Famous Five, the Swish of the Curtain, Susan Cooper’s The Dark Is Rising sequence, and Anne of Green Gables. I liked stories of girls having adventures and taking the initiative!

What is your favourite children’s book as an adult?

Wow, that is a REALLY hard question because I read loads of children’s fiction and gosh, there’s some FANTASTIC stuff being published! I’m going to cheat and pick two: Stinkbomb & Ketchup-Face and the Badness of Badgers (John Dougherty) which is for 7-9s and is hysterically funny and SO clever; and Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase (Jonathan Stroud) which features a team of teenage ghost-hunters and is genuinely scary, exciting and funny in equal measure.

What do you think makes children’s books so inspirational?

I think any book can be inspirational at different ages. I don’t think children’s books are necessarily more inspirational than adult ones; it’s just that children soak up inspiration with an enthusiasm rarely seen in adults! Children are so open to ideas and concepts. Their imaginations are much better than most adults; they haven’t yet ‘fixed’ their paths and personalities. That’s why writing for children is so exciting – you know they come to everything fresh, and they won’t put up with something they don’t like.

Why did you start writing for children?

I was in my 20s, working as an actor and temping in between. When I wasn’t acting, I thought I would go mad with lack of creativity. So I started a correspondence writing course which was specifically designed to teach writing for children. I’ve never really had any interest in writing for adults. Maybe I will one day! But writing for children is just so much fun, and soon I became addicted to writing, and then I desperately wanted to be published, and then I became addicted to seeing my name on the front of another book…and here I am!

What made you want to write this book?

Frustration at the lack of female superheroes around. I mean, there ARE some, but they’re massively overshadowed by the men. Also frustration with the idea that when you reach a certain age, you’re supposed to stop reading books with pictures. I love pictures, and I love comic strips and cartoons. And the twin ideas of a new superhero and using comic strip just came together in ELECTRIGIRL.

What is your favourite aspect of writing for children?

Making stuff up. It’s an actual JOB! I still think it’s bonkers, but gosh, I’m lucky.

We love the format of Electrigirl mixing text with comic strip – we’d love to know where the idea for this came from as we can’t think of seeing any books done like this before! Is it totally new?

Well, other books have included bits of comic strip – Magic Ink by Steve Cole, for instance. And there are many highly illustrated books for this age group out at the moment – the Reeve/McIntyre collaborations (which started with Oliver and the Seawigs) and Chris Riddell’s beautiful Goth Girl books. 

But no, I don’t think anyone else has told a story through both mediums (media?!) in the same book. It just seemed obvious once I’d had the idea (which was about three years ago) – you tell the parts of the story where Holly is ‘being a superhero’ in comic strip, and use prose for the ‘ordinary’ part of her life. Once I’d had the idea, I couldn’t believe no one else had done it yet and I was desperate to do it first!

How did you organise which bits of the story were to be done as comic strip? Did you write the story like that, or did you have to change how it was written it once you had decided?

The story was always written with that in mind. I write the comic strip sections as guidance for the illustrator (the brilliant Cathy Brett) along with what’s in caption boxes, speech bubbles etc. And then, early on, we all get together at OUP with the editors and Holly Fullbrook, the designer, and plan out how the panels are going to fit onto the pages and where the page turns will be and all that. It’s very complicated! Then Cathy goes away and draws it and I get VERY excited when I see the story finally appearing in picture form!

When will we see more of Electrigirl and are you developing it as a series?

A second book, ELECTRIGIRL AND THE DEADLY SWARM, will be out in August 2016 – not long to wait! I’d love it to be a long-running series, but so much depends on how well the first couple of books do. I have ideas for several more exciting plotlines though!

http://jocotterill.com/

Interview with illustrator Cathy Brett.

What was your favourite children’s book as a child?

I adored ‘Stig Of The Dump’. I loved it first because my favourite teacher read it aloud to our class and did brilliant voices for Barney and Stig. Then I loved it all over again when I got a copy of my own and discovered the accompanying illustrations by Edward Ardizzone. I’ve been a fan of his sketchy yet poignant ink drawings ever since.

What is your favourite children’s book as an adult?

That changes all the time because so many wonderful children’s books are published all the time. I am in awe of pretty much every YA novel that I read and all the brilliant hilarious MG illustrated stuff at the moment makes me whoop for joy. Right now I am obsessed with Jonny Duddle’s pirate books and the picture books of Benji Davis and Jim Field. 

What has been the most challenging aspect of working on Electrigirl?

The biggest challenge has been the number of illustrations - it’s significantly more than you’d find in most illustrated novels, which might have just 15 - 20 images. Electrigirl has around 200 sequential illustrations making up 35+ comic strip spreads. Electrigirl 2 has even more! Although this is very time consuming, it’s also wonderful. It’s not often an illustrator is given the responsibility to tell large chunks of a story in pictures and it’s particularly wonderful when those chunks also turn out to be the most exciting bits!

http://cathybrett.blogspot.co.uk/

Library Love – Writers Library Memories featuring Sue Wallman, Rita Borg and Candy Gourlay

Continuing our Library features on the run up to National Library day, some lovely writers have shared with us some of the reason why they love libraries…

Sue Wallman - author of young adult thriller LYING ABOUT LAST SUMMER

Pretty much every Saturday morning of my childhood I visited Christchurch Library in Dorset. To be honest I didn't have much else going on. I read all sorts of things I wouldn't have come across otherwise, and I'd pounce on the new books. Sometimes I'd find books that literally hadn't been taken out for years and I'd feel sorry for them and give them an outing. The librarians were a miserable bunch but that didn't matter because I hid away in the upstairs section. I went back there recently and it had completely changed. There was a fantastic young adult area, loads of scheduled activities and the librarians smiled at me. I love how libraries have evolved - they are warm, lively and friendly places and it's so sad they have to fight for survival.


Sue Wallman, author of young adult thriller LYING ABOUT LAST SUMMER, published on 5th May by Scholastic @swallman

Rita Antoinette Borg – Storyteller and Children’s Author

My library on Riverside Drive in New York City was the only place my father let me go to on my own. The

Adult Book Section was upstairs: the Children’s Books Section was downstairs.

One day downstairs, I read the last page of a picture book” Tikki Tikki Tembo” by Arlene Mosel.

Then, I whispered to the librarian,” Where can I find the book,” The Good Earth”, by Pearl Buck?”

The librarian smiled and said, “ That’s upstairs. Are you ready to read the upstairs books?”

I nodded, but I wasn’t sure.

“My teacher said to read “Good Earth”’, I said, clenching my lips together.

“All right then, “ said the librarian, who knew me well, “ You can go upstairs, Rita. It’s on the very first shelf. If you can’t reach it call me.”

I ascended the staircase as if landing on an alien planet, deep in outer space. Breathing in, I gazed around the new floor. I had made it. I bounded to the first bookshelf.

I found the book.

I couldn’t reach it.

I climbed one shelf, two shelves, three shelves.

I grabbed the book, held it tight and jumped down. The pages fell open. There and then, I departed on my first adult voyage to China.

Rita Antoinette Borg grew up near Central Park in New York City. Always reading and learning, she writes magazine articles, poetry and stories. She visits schools as a storyteller and children’s author. She has seven books published, and a picture book about an alien is soon on its way; along with a long poem about dolphins in an anthology. Rita has three kids, a husband who is a microbiologist and a border collie named Dakota. Rita now resides in Malta, but misses New York City very much.

Candy Gourlay – Author of Tall Story and Shine

It takes one book to change someone's outlook on life. And the someone who delivers that life-changing book could be a librarian near you.

I was the librarian's pet at my school - Miss Evelyn Diaz was her name. I must have been nine? Eight? Twelve? I am of the age now where the memory is all a blur. But I remember the books. Towers of them! We were only allowed to borrow two at a time but Miss Diaz kept some under the counter for me and when nobody was looking stamped me through with four, five, six in one go.

As a grade schooler, I loved the mystery serials. I borrowed every single serial there was - The Beverley Gray Mysteries, The Hardy Boys, The Nancy Drew Mysteries, The Bobbsey Twins, The Judy Bolton Detective Series and those mysteries by Enid Blyton starring Freddie Algernon Trottesville (Fatty, for short).

Miss Diaz made me feel special - like we shared between us this golden treasure that no one else had access to in the school. When I begged to add just one more book to the pile, she was amazed and excited. When I brought the books back, she was delighted that I had read them so quickly.

Candy Gourlay is the author of Tall Story and Shine you can find out more by visiting her web-site http://candygourlay.com or following her on twitter @candygourlay

Interview with Claire Cross librarian at Rush Common School, Abingdon

What was your favourite children’s book as a child?

It’s hard to narrow it down! For sheer escapism and immersion in a fantasy world, my favourite book was The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis. The story centres around an adventurous little girl, and I imagined myself in Lucy’s shoes, gazing into the clear waters and seeing a mermaid below. My other favourite would be The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, which is the ultimate riches to rags to riches story complete with noble heroine mistreated by those around her but eventually triumphant.

What do you think makes children’s books so inspirational?

For me, children’s books opened a door into other worlds, allowing me to share the lives of other children, whether they were going on adventures with a magical nanny or training to be a ballerina at a stage school. These were experiences which I was never going to have myself, and I liked nothing better than switching off the reality of my own childhood (which was very happy by the way!) and diving into someone else’s. I loved reading all genres but had a strong preference for those which were either biographical, such as the Laura Ingalls Wilder series, or seemed as though they were, such as Arthur Ransome’s works.

What is your favourite children’s book as an adult?

As you can imagine, I still have all the books from my childhood bookshelves! I still go back to the Swallows and Amazons series and get pleasure from reading them. My preference for reading to my own children over the years was to read my old books, but my husband (writer Nick Cross), has brought all sorts of amazing new children’s literature into the house. My favourite of these is the Larklight trilogy by Philip Reeve, which gets my vote for sheer inventiveness and humour.

Why did you become a librarian?

I went straight to University (or Polytechnic as it was then!) and did Library and Information Studies as a first degree because I loved books and reading and I didn’t have another strong urge towards a career. I don’t think at the time I really knew what librarians did, and it wasn’t until I started work three years later that I found out. Luckily I really enjoyed it, and worked in a government library followed by 7 years in a specialist academic library, before having a long career break to bring up our two daughters. Now I work part-time in my daughters’ school library, although they have both gone on to secondary school now.

What is the best thing about the job? And the worst?

It is wonderful when you inspire children to read or when you match a child with a book they enjoy, but my personal favourite thing is true library jobs like reorganizing the shelves or shelf-checking! The worst thing about the job is the constant never-ending chase for lost books, and I am still getting my head around accepting that sometimes, a book really is missing...

What is your vision of what a children’s library will look like in ten years time?

I hope it will be a warm and welcoming place, a neutral zone which is not a classroom and where children can read and explore whatever type of books they like.

I would certainly like to see the emphasis remaining on reading ‘real’ books as I believe a love of books developed in the primary years will benefit the children for the rest of their lives, and the borrowing of a new book, or the next book in a series is an exciting event in their day.

You have been involved with renovating the school library; can you please tell us a bit about the process of re-envisioning and restocking a library?

When I started work the library had not been opened for a while, and previously had been run by parent volunteers, so although the school owned a computer library system, they had not been using it for loans and nothing had been added to the library for several years. I also found that about 1500 of the books on the shelves were not on the library system, so I started cataloguing as fast as possible!

After getting the library system working again and making sure all the books were on it, I continued to reorganise the space to be more welcoming and practical. My vision for the space was to make it possible for as many little people as possible to sit somewhere comfortable and read!

A fantastic fund-raising effort by our school community and the Friends of Rush Common resulted in the library being given money to buy new books and furniture for the first time in many years. We decided the best way to restock was to ask the children to suggest the books they were interested in, and a survey went out to every child in the school at the end of the 13/14 school year. There were over 200 responses and as a result over 100 new books were added to the library in the fiction section, which was every book suggested by the children. We have also had many hundreds of books donated by teachers and other staff at the school, parents and children.

My pupil librarians love to stamp and label new books and the children get such a huge kick out of seeing brand new books on the display shelves, and especially being the first person to borrow the book!

I also spent some of the money on a large new rug, some bean-bags and new book cases. We now have three soft sitting corners in the library including a ‘story-telling zone’ where children can sit on the soft cushions and use story dice or cards to inspire verbal story-telling. There are also displays showing the champion borrowers for each year group.

I put lots of posters up and have also been gradually covering the walls with book reviews and completed activity sheets by the children. Some of them have really made me laugh, such as the child who illustrated an activity sheet entitled ‘my favourite place to read a book’ with the words ‘one thousand oranges!’ and the one who wrote that Elsa from Frozen was her favourite character because she was a ‘beetul prenses’.

Although the library itself isn’t a huge space, I believe it is being used really well now, with class groups coming over to change their books once a fortnight and open to the children at break time and lunch time two days a week. Last year over 6500 books were borrowed and the school has an excellent record for literacy. My personal goal is that every child should borrow a book during the course of this school year - last year I missed the target by about 20 children out of 410. It is my job to make sure the children know what is available to them, and this year my focus will be on better signage and letting the older children know we do have books they will like.

I have been amazed by the enthusiasm of staff and parents towards the library, and at one point was nearly overwhelmed by the number of books donated! I would recommend that anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation should reach out to their wider school community to ask for help, and also to the children themselves for ideas to improve the space and the type of books they would like to see in it.

Interview with The Jaguar Trials author Ruth Eastham

Ruth Eastham is an award-winning author from Lancashire, who has lived in New Zealand, Australia and Italy. Her debut novel, The Memory Cage, was nominated for the Carnegie Medal. Her second book, The Messenger Bird, a story based on the Enigma Code with both a contemporary and World War II setting, is a featured book at Bletchley Park. Arrowhead is a thriller steeped in Norse mythology. The Jaguar Trials is her fourth book.

What was your favourite children’s book as a child?

The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

What is your favourite children’s book as an adult?

Revolver by Marcus Sedgewick

What do you think makes children’s books so inspirational?

They go to the heart of a child’s world and show what young people are capable of.

Why did you start writing for children?

In 2001 I entered a BBC competition looking for a new children’s story. I was lucky enough to be one of the six finalists and meet a great group of fellow writers.

What is your favourite aspect of writing for children?

The chance to write a story I believe in. Creating stories with heart.

El Dorado is such a great subject but what was it that compelled you to write about it?

For me, the mention of El Dorado immediately conjures up images of mystery and intrigue and danger – great ingredients for a story! I wanted to come up with a new angle on the age-old legends though, and also look at how the early exploration and exploitation impacted on South America cultures; the darker side of the quest to reach this fabled city.

Creating such a rich and vivid story can be difficult, how much research did you do for The Jaguar Trials?

One really inspiring piece of research was going to an exhibition of South American gold artefacts at the British Museum. The artefacts were breathtaking, particularly those that blurred the boundaries between humans and animals.


You might also notice a certain Colonel Percy Fawcett is in the acknowledgements for The Jaguar Trials. By all accounts he was quite a character; his mysterious disappearance in 1925 generated huge public interest. I visited the National Geographical Society in London to pore over early explorer maps and read Fawcett’s original diary accounts and letters.

His family motto has become my own personal writing motto: Difficulties Be Damned! J