3D Review, ‘Is it a Mermaid?’ by Candy Gourlay and Francesca Chessa - Author Interview with Candy Gourlay

Following on from yesterday's reviews of Is it a mermaid, today we have an interview with the wordsmith who brought us Benji, Bel and the dreaming Dugong, Candy Gourlay.

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

​This is always a difficult question because I read and loved SO MANY books as a child. Many of the books were school issue readers – I went to a convent school so we were given hardback, colour illustrated books called Cathedral Readers. They were anthologies of stories that ranged across many genres. My dad also liked to buy books from the door to door encyclopaedia salesmen (did you have those in England?) ... and he once bought a collection called the Collier's Junior Classics, which excerpted the best children's book of the time. One story I loved was The Twenty One Balloons by William Pene Dubois – about a secret, high tech society living on Krakatoa before it erupted. I loved the illustrations and all the tech invented by the characters, like pneumatic beds that could be pumped up high (through ceilings that slid out of the way) so that children could go to sleep with a view of the night sky. There were many problematic things about the story – such as the absence of Indonesians on an Indonesian island. But as a child, I simply loved the adventure of it!

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

​Another tough question! But I have to say I love Frank Cottrell's books, especially Millions, about a boy who finds a holdall stuffed with millions of pounds and then he has to spend it all before the UK joins the Euro (sadly, now the stuff of fantasy as Brexit looms). The characters were so lovable and the writing was clever and engaging. ​

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

​There is always a warm heart beating inside a story written for children, a hopefulness that you might not discover in a book written for adults.​

Why did you start writing for children?

I wanted to become a writer on the day that I fell in love with reading. I actually remember the moment and the feeling when I realised that the characters on a page were telling me a story. Everytime I write I remember the explosion of delight I experienced on the day​ I read my first book, and I've always wanted to recreate that feeling for other children.

Do you think about how the pictures will work with the text as you are writing?

​Yes I do! When I write picture books, I often begin by drawing comics – I did a comic strip for a weekly magazine a long, long time ago – ​and I draw until the story begins to emerge. And only then do I begin to fashion words.

What is the biggest challenge in crafting a story with such a small word count?

​The small word count is an exciting challenge and because I love to draw, I don't mind surrendering punch lines to the illustrator. The biggest challenge, really, is not creating the story but creating a story that fits the needs of a publishing market that is limited by its reach and the expensive risk posed by every picture book because nobody knows what story will capture the imaginations of the most readers.

"Candy Gourlay gave up writing picture books for novels after years of rejection. She is over the moon to become a picture book author at last with Is It a Mermaid, though her novels have been listed for many prizes including the Waterstones, Blue Peter, the Carnegie and the Guardian Prize. Her third novel, Bone Talk, will be published in August."

Thank you for stopping by, please come back tomorrow for an interview with Is It a Mermaid's, illustrator Francesca Chessa!

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).

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!

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 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

Pike - Anthony McGowan - Feature - Author Interview

Back in 2013 we were very luck to have run a 3D review of Anthony McGowan's Barrington Stoke YA novel Brock. As part of the feature we interviewed Anthony [press here to read]. This summer the sequel to Brock, Pike was published, so we have caught up with Anthony again, to ask him about writing sequels.

Do you find it difficult to reprise the voice of a novel when writing a sequel?

I found it pretty easy. I'd come to know Nicky better than almost any other character I've created, and he was very very real to me. He isn't actually much like me (being honourable, courageous, kind, and patient), but I became him while I was writing, and the skin was waiting, ready for me to don it again...

Brock and now Pike are both written in first person from the perspective of Nicky, did you find that Nicky had evolved or grown between writing the first book and the second?

In Brock, Nicky is almost saintly - he hardly ever loses patience with Kenny, and heroically copes with all the problems in his life. In Pike, I wanted to add some complexity, making him a bit more human and flawed, without losing the fundamental decency that makes him special. And in Pike there's a sort of reversal, in that Kenny is more active, and at times behaves like the older brother he is, despite his learning difficulties.

How hard is it fitting back story from the first book, Brock, into the second, with the tight word count of a Barrington Stoke novel?

Rather a lot happens in Pike - as well as the basic treasure hunt plot, there's a lot of family and character development, and it was quite taxing fitting it all in. Luckily Barrington Stoke have given me a few more words than they normal allow. As for the back story, I wanted the book to stand on its own, as well as working as a sequel, and it's always a challenge in that situation to get the balance right, whatever the word-count.

In Pike, you see both Nicky and his brother Kenny develop, and their family story unfold. Will be seeing more of Nicky and Kenny in future novels?

After I finished Brock, I knew that I wanted to revisit Nicky and Kenny and their world. I had a vague idea for the plot almost straight away, and was champing at the bit to tell it. I don't feel quite the same now. I'm certainly not repelled by the idea of going back to them for the third time, but, at the moment, I don't have a 'story' for them to tell. It's probably worth pointing out that the Pike and Brock actually form a sort of loose trilogy with The Fall - the main character in The Fall plays a minor part in Pike, and achieves a kind of redemption in it for his earlier sins.

What is your favourite thing about Pike?

Obviously it's the relationship between Nicky and Kenny, which is perhaps the thing I'm most proud of creating in my career as a writer. But the setting is also very important to me. It's based very closely on the small town/large village where I spent most of my childhood - Sherburn in Elmet in North Yorkshire. It's not a beautiful place, and has taken a battering over the years, but it has character and resilience. And pubs! The Bacon Pond is a real place, as is the little wood where Nicky and Kenny rescue the badger cub in Brock. And the library and librarian are drawn from life.

Summer of Children's Classics - My Favourite Classic Children’s Book by Benjamin Scott

“Mr Hawlings will give you a much older version of the Punch and Judy play, which his grandfather used to play upon the roads.”

As for many readers these days, I can’t remember if I read the book or saw the amazing BBC adaption first, but my children’s classic of choice is The Box of Delights by John Masefield. My yellow Puffin paperback version of the book was probably a little battered when I first got it, but I’ve poured over it many times since including, one December, reading it aloud with my wife.

Of the tales about Kay Harker, The Box of Delights, a sequel to The Midnight Folk, is the more successful of the two books. It’s a faster paced and a more exciting story with higher stakes. Mr Cole Hawlings entrusts the magical Box of Delights to Kay Hawker to stop the box falling into the hands of Abner Brown and the ‘wolves’ that are after it. Kay must use the box’s powers, which allows the owner to shrink, fly and enter the past, to save the Punch and Judy man and defeat the evil gang who are ‘scrobbling’ the clergy of Tatchester Cathedral threatening the Millennial Christmas Service.

Even though the story is rooted in the era between the wars, with delightful 1930s words and phrases, its universal message makes it a classic worth keeping. Known as a quintessential Christmas story, really it is more of tale for midwinter. Despite the present of clergymen and cathedrals, Masefield’s story stretches back into the misty pagan past, featuring such heralds of good as Herne the Hunter. As daylight begins to lose ground, then rapidly retreat between now and the winter solstice, here is a tale that tells us that light will triumph over darkness, that there is hope even as winter closes in. Kay, an ordinary schoolboy, shows that anyone can play a part in keeping light in the world.

It’s time to lay your hands on a copy of The Box of Delights and sometime after Halloween start reading it. You won’t regret it.

Benjamin Scott is the ghost-author of eight books (including five books in the Star Fighters series by Max Chase). A creative writing tutor, he’s taught at a range of schools and organisations, including the Oxford University Continuing Education Department and Swanwick, the Writers’ Summer School. He also mentors other writers through his critiquing and editorial service. His agent is Gillie Russell at Aitken Alexander Associates. 

Ben can be found on Twitter: @Benjamin_Scott

His web site is: www.benjaminscott.net

3D Review - My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish Picture Book - Interview with Author Mo O'Hara

Back in 2013 our very first 3D review was of the very first My Big Zat Zombie Goldfish book (press here to read). Since then Frankie and Co. have gone on to have huge success across the world, so when we heard that there was a Picture Book Spin off coming out, we really wanted to celebrate it with a 3D Review. Mo, was interviewed about books and writing in the first 3D review (press here to read), but has kindly agreed to be interviewed with an entirely new set of questions, all about success, Frankie and writing Picture Books!

My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish has become hugely successful since we last interviewed you, including reaching the New York Bestsellers list. How does this feel?

Thanks for interviewing me again. This is a real treat, and I’m so excited about the first My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish Picture book!!! The day that the first MBFZG reached the NY Times Bestsellers list I found out at 11:30 at night UK time and everyone was asleep so I had a little victory celebration dance with my kittens. They were amused but not very enthusiastic about the email really.

It’s been great to see the words ‘NY Times Bestseller’ on the books in the US but as a boy reminded me when I was touring there this month. ‘Yeah, but that’s nothing special. It’s like on practically every other book isn’t it?’ So it doesn’t mean much to the readers really but it makes me smile.

How many countries is My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish been published in?

It’s out (or will be coming out in the next year or so) in about 9 countries I think. Germany, Hungary, Turkey, Australia, USA, Canada, The Chech Republic, Lithuania, and Brazil. I think.

It is so cool. I’ve heard from kids in Australia and in Germany so far. I’ve seen the German books and they look amazing. It’s great to think my book has travelled much further than me.

How does feel to think you are making children laugh across the planet?

It was really fun to tour to the West Coast of America this month and talk to kids from very different backgrounds and that live very different lives. I also might be going to a school in Germany next year so I’m very excited about that. I would love to travel more and meet readers from far away. Now if I could just get a book smuggled onto the next space station mission.... hmmmm......

This is the first My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish picture book; can you tell us is which is more difficult writing novels or picture book texts?

I found it more difficult to write the picture book because it was my first one. I always write more and edit the text down. For a picture book, every word matters so there was a lot of chopping out stuff and keeping the lines and the action very direct. I always want to go off on a long funny aside from one of the characters. Writing a book where 2 of my three main characters can’t talk did wonders for cutting my overuse of dialogue.

Marek did such an amazing job on this book too. It really is much more of a collaboration with the illustrator. I mean, Marek comes up with some spectacular stuff for the fiction series illustrations but this was full colour, full spreads and the whole world is created in the pictures. It felt real though when I first saw the colour spreads a few months ago. I looked at Sami standing in her living room and thought, ‘Yeah, that’s where Sami lives. Of course it is.’ Fang is also one of my favourite characters so I love giving her centre stage with Frankie for the book.

Lastly, can you tell us what’s next for Frankie, and the characters of My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish?

Who knows if there will be another MBFZG picture book. We are just putting the finishing touches on the last MBFZG fiction book too. ( The title is perhaps my favourite so far... Jurassic Carp!!! I love it! ) So, this might be the last we see of Frankie for a while. I’m really happy with the way the last book turned out too. I think the stories have stayed true to the original book and I still love writing about these boys’ friendship. They will stay with me a long time.

It was great to write the picture book with Sami as the protagonist though. She is a great little character with a lot more to see so I hope she gets the chance.

3D Review - How the Library (not the prince) Saved Rapunzel - Author Interview with Wendy Meddour

Wendy Meddour was brought up in Aberystwyth and spent many years teaching English at Oxford University. Her debut children’s book, A Hen in the Wardrobe, won the John C Laurence award for improving relations between the races and was shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award for an outstanding first novel. She went onto publish the bestselling & internationally acclaimed Wendy Quill series – and loves nothing better than writing rhyming picture books.

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

I’ve got lots. Something amazing happened when I read The Great Smile Robbery by Roger McGough, and Hunter Davies’ Flossie Teacake Strikes Back and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry The Little Prince were pure magic. And my dad used to read me fairy tales and poetry every night, so I can blame him for quite a lot.

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

I’m always amazed by the wisdom of Winnie the Pooh. And Alice in Wonderland is a joy. Oh, and Chris Riddell’s Ottoline books are things of great beauty.

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

Children’s books are like extra-virgin olive oil: the finely squeezed bits that remain when all the rubbish has been thrown away. Children are the most exciting of all readers; they delight in honesty, imagination, and excitement - the refined stuff. So every word has to be there for a reason. This is what makes children’s books magic.

Wendy (centre) at the launch party of 'How the Library (not the prince) Saved Rapunzel' with her editor - Janetta Otter-Barry and illustrator Rebecca Ashdown. 

Why did you start writing for children?

When I was 33.

What made you want to write this book?

I’d like to say I wrote it because I wanted to help save our libraries – which I absolutely do!!! But that’s not exactly the reason I wrote it. No. The honest answer is this: I wanted to write it because I had heat stroke and my brain wouldn’t let me think about anything else. You see, I was burning up in the top floor of a city flat in the Algeria. It was 52 degrees outside and the flat was surrounded by forest fires. It was probably some sort of coping mechanism – but my mind began to imagine that I was Rapunzel – stuck in the tower – with no means of escape. I could barely breathe. ‘How the Library (not the Prince) saved Rapunzel’ started to flow – I couldn’t stop it. Books and writing had always helped me in a crisis. Books would save Rapunzel too!!!! (And whilst I was writing like a loon, a Prince didn’t show up. But an old Berber lady called ‘Zarfa’ did. She put some bags of frozen chick-peas on my head and down my top, put my feet in a bucket of ice-cold water, and gave me lemon juice with honey to drink.) Slowly, my temperature came down and I survived to tell the tale. Quite literally. I came home in one piece. Just. And Frances Lincoln decided to publish the book.

What is your favourite aspect of writing for children?

That there are no frontiers.

What is the biggest challenge in crafting a story with such a small word count?

Getting it right, I suppose. Making sure it’s refined enough. And in my case, funny. I do like a little bit of humour.

Why did you choose Rapunzel as character to work with?

I didn’t choose her. She chose me.

What are the challenges of using a well-established fairytale character?

I don’t know. I didn’t think there were any.

What is your favourite fairytale and why?

Not sure about this one. Fairy tales are wonderful, necessary, seductive things that do curious things with our imagination. They need to exist and most of them can send me into a trance. But they’re nearly always tinged with sadness. Or they end with a wedding and a prince! (Oh! Same thing. Hehehe). That’s why they need to be rewritten. With jolly, inspiring, heroine-centred endings. You know, like Rapunzel getting a job at the library and learning to play the bassoon!

‘So don’t just wait for your Prince to show

He might turn up but you never know.

Pop down to your library and borrow a book –

There’s SO MUCH to find out if only you look.

But don’t just sit and wait and stare …

When there’s more to life than growing your hair!’

3D Review; Callum Fox and the Mousehole Ghost - Author Interview with A C Hatter

We interview author A C Hatter about her book, Callum Fox and the Mousehole Ghost, as part of our first ever 3D review of a self-published book!

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

The first book I really fell in love with was Elizabeth Goudge’s Little White Horse. I was enthralled by the mystical world and still to this day long for a circular bedroom. I couldn’t wait until my daughter was old enough to read it, but sadly it didn’t speak to her like it had to me. If anything it highlighted how much children’s literature has moved on. Contemporary kids need page turning action and humour, sadly mysteriously appearing sugar biscuits just aren’t enough anymore.

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

That’s a toughie. It’s a toss-up between His Dark Materials, Harry Potter, Twilight and Mr Gum. Can I have all of them as equal favourites? Please?

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

It’s the escapism. Good YA and children’s fiction creates a world of fun, magic and mystery. Who doesn’t want to be transported to another world on an adventure. You can sign me up now!

Why did you start writing for children?

To start with I was just writing – without any audience in mind at all. Short stories, flash fiction, just writing for writing’s sake. I didn’t define it as adults, childrens or YA, and with hindsight that was very liberating. After some success with the short stories I thought I’d try a novel, and then I had to pigeon hole my writing. As I’ve written a story about 12 year olds I suppose it must be mid-grade, even though adults and teens are enjoying it too. To be honest I don’t find categorising books very helpful. Especially as I love all the books for 8 – 12 year olds and the YA stuff, even though I’m dangerously older than that. I know this categorisation needs to be done, but really I just see it as writing something that I would like to read – and I hope everyone from 8 to 108 will enjoy it too.

What made you want to write Callum Fox and the Mousehole Ghost?

My daughter was in Year 5 or 6 and doing evacuees at school. Being an avid reader myself I was keen that she read Goodnight Mr Tom to support her studies. She was unimpressed. She point blank refused and stuck to reading the fast paced adventures of Alex Rider. (I should have realised I was in for trouble when she hadn’t liked the Little White Horse!)

At the time I was reading Kate Mosses’ Labyrinth. I was enjoying the time slip novel and thought children may find that a more palatable way to digest historical fiction. If I could get a contemporary adventure story to intertwine with a historical novel, in this case evacuees, I could have a winning formula. Parents and teachers would like it because it would support the school curriculum, and children would like it because it was a modern story with a 12 - 13 year old protagonist they could relate to. I could link the two stories by having the ghost of the evacuee and Callum’s Grandad appear in both stories – and if this worked I could take the idea forward to any period, depending on where the KS2 History Syllabus decided to go.

What is your favourite aspect of writing for children?

I love the humour that you can build in, and creating the alternative world. In this instance I also really enjoyed playing with the two parallel story lines so that they mirrored each other, highlighting similarities and differences between the eras. I found the most difficult part of the process getting the two protagonists voices right, so that the reader knew instinctively which time frame they were reading about.

Callum Fox and the Mousehole Ghost is part set in Summer 2014 and part set during WWII, following evacuee Jim, How much research did you have to do, and what is the challenges of writing the historical element?

I found plenty of reference material on WWII and evacuees. The BBC History Archive was very useful and I got hold of a couple of autobiographies written by people who had been evacuated to Cornwall. My favourite source document was a family history written by my uncle, Jack Holmes. My family ran a B&B and a market garden business in Mousehole around that time. Also one of my great uncles was lost at sea in 1942 in St Michael’s Bay, and there were detailed records of that. It all helped me form a pretty clear picture of Mousehole during WWII.

You have published Callum Fox and the Mousehole Ghost, yourself, what are the challenges and benefits you have found with self-publishing?

I had originally hoped to be traditionally published. The manuscript was picked up by a literary agent very quickly and I was convinced a lucrative publishing deal would follow – but I may have been a little naive! My agent spent five months trying to get a traditional publisher and despite coming close a couple of times it wasn’t to be. In March this year she came back to me and suggested that I move on to the next novel and forget this one, or self-publish it and see what happened. So very rashly I announced I would do it myself and self-publish. I knew the book would sell well over the summer holidays, so if I was going to do it I wanted it out before the schools broke up for the summer. I made the decision to self-publish in early April and set the date of the book launch for the middle of June. It was a very busy two and a half months!

I soon realised the term ‘self-published’ (or ‘independently published’ as some call it) covers a myriad of sins. I looked at several different packages from companies that wrapped up all the various parts of the process and charge the author for the privilege, to doing everything through Amazon and being tied in with them. But I wanted to have total control over my book, and I soon realised I could only get that by doing it all myself. So I purchased my own ISBN numbers and set up a publishing company – Woodside White Books. I sourced my own cover designer, proof editor, and printer, and I had the manuscript professionally formatted for paperback and e book. I launched the book in my home town of Beaconsfield and in Cornwall, at Geevor Tin Mine, where part of the story is set. That was two months ago, it’s now stocked in all the independent bookshops in Cornwall, and nationally through Waterstones, Amazon and many wonderful independent bookshops. I’ve even had to order a second print run already.

There are several downsides to self-publishing. The first is having to differentiate yourself from those vanity published books that have given the business a bad name, and the second is not having a marketing department. I’ve found that if I give a book to a book seller or librarian and if I can get them to read it, they really get behind the whole project and are very happy to help me get the book out there. For example, I gave a copy to the staff in Waterstones in High Wycombe, they loved it and have had me in to do a book signing, I used this to get onto the Waterstones system and then I pushed it into other branches of Waterstones through the Cornwall connection. I’m also doing a reading at my local library as part of their summer holiday activity programme and talking to various writing groups about my experience. I’m setting up school visits and speaking at literary festivals in the autumn - the marketing is hard work, but without it no one is going to know about my book, and it won’t sell.

The other difficulties with self-publishing that I have found are not having a huge team to check and double check everything, and bringing that wealth of experience of the business that I assume the traditional publishers have. I have had to make do with my own research and my own efforts. And of course cost – the risk of ending up out of pocket is huge. The more you push the book sales, the more it costs you. I am starting to recoup my fixed costs now, but very very slowly.

However, despite all of that I can honestly say I am loving learning about the self-publishing process. I have total control over the finished book, the cover, where it’s stocked and how it’s sold and ultimately I will be solely responsible for its success or failure. It’s much more than just seeing the book in print – it’s starting a new business. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is prepared to put the work in and take it seriously – the process itself is a great adventure, and who doesn’t want to go on an adventure – you can sign me up now!

Callum Fox and the Mousehole Ghost, by AC Hatter is available from selected bookshops. Her website is www.achatter.co.uk