Roslyn Muir - The Chimera's Apprentice - Author Interview (Q&A) - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books #37

Hello Everybody. Thank you for popping by Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books. We have a brilliant interview with Scottish-born author Roslyn Mui today. The Chimera's Apprentice is the first book in an immersive magical fantasy series that follows Kyra, the main character, who unfortunately has lost her family. Her mother has been snatched by the rat people, and her estranged dad is too busy fighting them to help. The author has planned a three-book series to get your fantasy teeth stuck into. All books have been independently published so they might have slipped you by. We hope you get a better insight into the series and the author's background.

If you want to find out more please check out the author's website page HERE

1. The Chimera's Apprentice is the first book in the series. How would you best describe what we can expect to encounter in this story? 

The Chimera’s Apprentice is told in the first-person point of view. We’re in Kyra’s thoughts from when she first lives on Earth and is then whisked away to another dimension. It’s a fantasy adventure story of new worlds and incredible creatures. But it’s also a story of a fractured family. Kyra’s dad has been missing for years and then she suddenly meets him again and discovers he’s the ruler of a distant land—which makes her a princess. But Kyra’s not satisfied with that and sets out to rescue her mom who’s been kidnapped by the Raturro—a group of rebels out to bring down the ruler.

2. How do you go about making a series of books have a distinctive edge? Do you think other writers have influenced your books and your writing? 

I think that books in a series should be connected but also have the ability to stand alone. I tried to achieve that in both books, as well as the upcoming third and last book in the series, The Last Murch. I was influenced by Hunger Games and Harry Potter which are both extremely popular series. I think the huge, distinct worlds were what influenced me the most, but also the idea that you can continue to add new characters to each book. I’m aiming to go deeper with the characters, to discover more about them and the history of the Raturro. 

3. I'm a very big fan of both book covers in the series, who produced the fantastic illustrations for these, and do you think they get the message about the story across to potential new readers? 

I also love the covers! I belong to many writers’ groups on Facebook and saw a cover with an interesting dragon on it. I asked the author about the artist and got her name: Elena Dudina, who lives in Spain. (https://www.elenadudina.com)

I wanted the covers to really pull in the reader and entice them—that’s the cover’s job, of course, but I also wanted it to be one of those covers that you just stare at and notice new things over time. We’re working on the cover for book three right now. I’m so excited about it I’ll probably release it early!

4. The main character is called Kyra a reluctant princess of Antiica, do you think she would change any of the outcomes in the story? 

Kyra becomes a hero when she rescues her mom in book one, but not all is perfect at the end of the story. A war is looming in the land. Kyra is only 13 and while she has some powers at her disposal, the war is another thing entirely. She carries the guilt that her family is responsible for all the bad things on Antiica. Yes, she would like the problems solved, but she needs to earn that victory first! 

5. You also write for television and screen, how does this help (or hinder) your writing process as a children's author? Do you have any tips you could share with us? 

I think my screenwriting career has given me the confidence to tackle a novel. Screenplays are leaner than books, less adjectives and descriptions are very plot oriented. So, I’ve learned to be a plotter and to make sure my protagonist is active and surprising. I think I’m also good at squeezing everything out of a scene and creating exciting cliffhangers at the end of chapters. If I had any advice for writers, it would be to plot, plot, plot! 

I outline my story and know what my characters’ goals are, but I don’t have a chapter-by-chapter synopsis. I just keep building to the plot points. There’s a saying in screenwriting: You have to kill your darlings! That means that you’ll write a lot of great stuff, but often a brilliant idea will paint you into a corner. Sometimes you have to let them go and stay on the path you planned out. 

6. You were born in Scotland and grew up in Vancouver, Canada; both places have wonderful landscapes. Have these inspired any part of the story or the series?

Yes, I’ve spent a lot of time in the woods and mountains, so it is my go-to location. I also have a giant monkey-puzzle tree in my yard, and I’ve made it an important memory for Kyra. 

7. What can we expect from your next book The Stone Traveller? 

Kyra’s adventure continues to a far nestling as she tries to protect her Raturro friend Mercy from the evil rebel leader, Majellan. Kyra encounters serpents and interferes in the customs of the local Raturro. She’s still learning how to control the chimera that she’s connected to, and the results are disastrous. There are some exciting revelations about Mercy, but I won’t spoil it here;)

https://www.instagram.com/rosmuir/

https://twitter.com/rosmuir

THALAMUS PLANK - Author/Illustrator - Interview (Q&A) - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

 

Hello Everybody. Today we are delighted to be able to share the fantastic interview with Thalamus Plank - what a great name by the way. Thalmus is a very talented author/illustrator who has a fantastic creative style that might be new to you. He is always dreaming of an opportunity to demonstrate his creative talents. So we asked him some in-depth questions to find out more about his work and hopefully fuel his dream for bigger things to come. If you want to find out more about him or check out his other work then visit his website: https://www.thalamusplank.co.uk or have a chat with him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThalamusPlank

• ‘Help, My Granny is a Smuggler!’ is a book you are really proud of so what can you tell us about it, and will or has it been published? 

I’m proud of this book because it was ‘Highly Commended’ by the judges at the Faber and Andlyn BAME, (FAB) Prize – which made it the first piece that I’d written that was acknowledged by people in the publishing industry as being of a standard. That is both an incredible confidence boost and a relief to a writer and an acknowledgment that you’re on the right path! It hasn’t yet been published… so if the publishing world feels that it is missing a humorous story about a granny that goes smuggling in secret with ‘the fearsome four’, and that involves a spot of detective work by her brave grandson, Barrie, then they know where to come!  

• They say that a picture paints a thousand words, what do your illustrations say about you? 

I suppose that the things you write and draw do reflect something of your character… I don’t want to sound like I don’t take life seriously, but I do always seem to see beauty and light in even the darkest moments, and always find something that can bring a smile to my face. Whilst I don’t bury my head in the sand concerning the more troublesome aspects of the world we live in; I feel that they are currently more than abundant right now so don’t really have the desire to invent any more. That said, I wouldn’t shy away from depicting moments of sadness, as long as strands of hope can be drawn from the narrative. 

• What kind of projects do you like working on? 

I do enjoy animal portraits - as you know, I’m involved in animal rescue and house several ‘un-releasables’ as well as a handful of dogs, so I get to observe their incredible beauty close up on a daily basis – you can’t help but be inspired! I've been trying my hand at book covers and am really enjoying the challenge of that, both the summing up of the book with the art and designing the layout. I particularly enjoy black and white illustrations (for chapter books and upwards) and am currently working on some for a chapter book that I have recently penned.  

• Have you always enjoyed drawing and writing? Is this something you wanted to focus on as a career from an early age? 

I was brought up in a creative household with a blend of cultures, my English mother is an incredible artist and my Guyanese father is a passionate lover of words and literature, - (His letters are eloquent and descriptive and reading his postcards is like delving into an excerpt from a travel guide!) and my siblings are artistic too. I learned pretty much all I know about drawing and painting from watching my mother at work. My grandmother also used to paint, and between them, they taught me so much. Whilst I was not formally trained, I could never claim to be ‘self-taught’, I had the very best teachers. My grandfather (a fellow Yorkshire man!) wrote poetry and my father was always reading and educated us in the classics, he used to write short stories and had several published in his work magazine. He has recently taken up painting too! So yes, drawing and writing were a big part of my childhood - I still have the very first story I wrote, written in a Postman Pat notebook. I must have been five or six (I hope – very embarrassing if it turned out I was much older!!) it’s about a magic man in a grocery shop buying potatoes – riveting stuff! But, no, although making art and crafts, and writing, have been a serious past-time, it was never something I really considered as a career; it’s only in recent years that I have become focused on pursuing this path with vigour!  

• How do you capture your ideas as they come to you and when are you at your best creatively? 

I discovered a few years ago that I have Aphantasia, meaning that I have no ‘mind’s eye’. (Obviously, this was how I experienced life, I just never knew that it was a thing) Like many who have it, I always thought that picturing things in your mind was just something people said, and didn’t realise that most people can see actual images in their minds! Apparently, some people can see moving images, like watching a film – in your head!! I can only imagine how amazing that be! I, on the other hand, see nothing, so when it comes to capturing ideas, I rely a lot on taking photos (my phone storage is always at capacity!)  and I recall feelings and try to capture them in the images that I draw. Feelings are also important in writing too - when I read a book, clearly, I won’t be picturing the story in my mind, but I will very much feel what I read. To that end, I’m actually quite selective about what I read. So, yes, lots of photos (I even keep the blurry ones as they still invoke how I was feeling at the time it was taken) and jotting down comments and quick sketches– usually on kitchen roll! 

I’m a night person, so from about 10 pm - 4 am (ish) would be my hours of choice, but the reality of life is that you take any and every minute you can grab, whenever, wherever and just be grateful!  

• If you could pick two book covers illustrated by other illustrators which would you select? What is it about these two covers that particularly appeals to you? 

Edward Bettison is a wonderful designer and his cover of ‘Stone’ by Finbar Hawkins is a joy to look at, the same goes for his cover of ‘Witch’, also by Finbar Hawkins.  Whilst I haven’t yet read this book, so can’t say whether or not it captures the story (although I’m sure it does), I’m so taken by the artwork. I love the silhouette style art with a limited colour palette – less really is more!

  

My second choice is the beautiful cover of ‘The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse’, written and illustrated by the very talented Charlie Mackesy.  I love the simplicity of a few lines that manage to convey so much, both as a picture and in the feelings it evokes. So very powerful and yet so minimal, so simple and yet so deep.

  

Both are very different in style, but each one is beautiful! 

• Could you draw your favourite superhero/book character/famous person in a style that relates to you and share it with us? 

I’ve had to draw you three! The first two are fanart from the world of The Moomins that were created in the amazing mind of Tove Jansson. Snufkin is who I aspire to be like. Snufkin is a free spirit, connected to nature, surrounded by music, and loves the sea – all very strong passions of mine, however, my actual day-to-day reality is more that of the dear Hemulen, who is a bit eccentric, studies fauna with his magnifying glass (I do have a microscope!) and likes to drink tea. I’m probably a mixture of them both, so the third picture is my Moomin mash-up – a ‘Snufulen’ maybe or perhaps a ‘Hemkin’! 

• What one thing would you like people to know about you? 

Other than, ‘I’m available for representation!', I’d like them to know just how grateful I am to every single person who has inspired and encouraged me in any way in both my writing and my illustration, from those that are closest to me and encourage me on a daily basis and allow me the time and space to create (In particular, Mr. Slid, my family and SeaDogBobL), to those on social media who I have never met, and probably never will in person, (like your good self and like Zillah Bethell who continue to be so supportive!) and everyone in between – every kind comment is appreciated from the heart as is the creative work that they all share too. I’ve learned so much from looking at other peoples’ output. There’s an incredible world of creativity out there!!  

Corrina Campbell - The Girl who Stole the Stars - Author/Illustration Interview - Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books

Welcome to Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books. Today, I'm delighted to introduce Corrina Campbell who is a self-taught illustrator/author with a background in primary education. This interview looks to find out more about her writer/author experiences in the lead up to her new picture book. The Girl who Stole the Stars is due to be published this October (2020) by Little Door Books. 

I hope you enjoy reading our interview. Don't forget you can pre-order the book in advance if it sounds like something you and/or your family would enjoy. Thanks for reading - stay HAPPY and SAFE. 

The Girl Who Stole The Stars is your debut picture book (published later this year), can you tell us a little bit about it?

‘The Girl Who Stole the Stars’ is a story about a little girl who decides she wants a star of her very own but ends up taking all the stars from the sky with disastrous consequences, not just for her but for millions of other children around the world.  But what will it take for her to put them back in the sky?  You’ll need to read the book to find out!

Did you focus on the words or illustrations first for this picture book? 

I started with the words but those first few words that I jotted down are not necessarily the words you’ll see in the book today.  Once the illustrations were introduced a lot of the text changed, mainly because the illustrations tell so much of the story.  There is a huge amount of editing, redrafting and redrawing that happens along the way with both the words and the illustrations taking the lead at various points and influencing the direction of the final look and feel of the story.  

What are the processes involved in writing and illustrating your own picture book? 

When I have an idea for a book I first consider whether I can actually turn it into a story.  This usually involves thinking about the setting and characters but more importantly the plot and storyline.  I then consider whether it would fit a standard picture book size;  usually 32 pages and often under 1000 words.  If my idea is still ‘alive’ after this stage then it’s time to get the pencils out!  I usually sketch out small thumbnail images of how each page will look – these are really rough but it gives me an idea of how I think the book could look.  Then I start working on more detailed illustrations – the best part of the whole process and usually the point where I feel I’ve got something with book potential!

Where and what do you generally get your ideas and inspirations from?

I am a primary teacher and a mum so most of my ideas come from either my children or an aspect of life I am looking to teach in a child-friendly manner.  ‘The Girl who Stole the Stars’ was an idea that came from my eldest daughter when she wrote to Santa asking for a ladder to the stars so that she could have one.  I loved the idea of being able to climb up into the sky and take a star so the story grew from there.  I am also currently working on a story that looks at the impact of plastic on the Planet and wildlife which is a focus in many schools at the moment.

Can you tell us a little bit about your first illustration and what you were particularly proud of?

I started illustrating my written work two years ago after deciding to explore the self-publishing route.  I had written lots of stories and I desperately wanted to see one as a book.  I investigated using a freelance illustrator but it was far too costly for me so decided to give it a go myself.  I’ve always been very creative but had never focussed fully on illustration.  I spent hours exploring different art media, styles, techniques but the real turning point, and the part of the journey I am most proud of, was when I discovered how to make my artwork digital.  I spent two weeks sitting in front of my laptop, trying and failing.  I remember feeling it was impossible, that I’d maybe reached the limit of my capabilities – which was really upsetting.  However, eventually, things started to fall in to place and I was finally able to edit and produce images to a high standard that could be used in picture books, as well as on cards and as prints which I now sell on Etsy, via my website www.corrinacampbell.com and at local craft fairs and events.  I was then able to pursue and successfully sign a traditional publishing contract for ‘The Girl who Stole the Stars’.  This was a massive step in the right direction with regards to me carving a career path in illustration and indeed children’s picture books.

  

Is there anything that helps you to channel your creativity?

This is a terrible answer but lots of biscuits(!)…and a lot of determination.  I work in the evenings once my kids are in bed so when I sit down the exhaustion kicks in.  However, a couple of biscuits later I am usually re-energised and feeling creative again!  On a serious note, it takes a huge amount of discipline to focus in an evening and be productive after what can often be a long and busy day.  When I knew I wanted to write and illustrate a children’s picture book but I had to make some significant changes to find the time to make this happen.  As my evenings were my only free time I had to use them productively.  You’ll now find me most evenings at the kitchen table drawing, writing, editing, creating and learning.  It’s having that discipline that’s really helped me channel my creativity in a more focussed direction to reach my goal of creating children’s books.  

Do you think an illustrator should have a particular style or be known for trying/using different styles?

Great question.  Interestingly I think your style is always there, even when you try to be a bit different!  When I was in the early stages of learning how to illustrate a book I explored all the different techniques/styles that other well-known picture book illustrators were using and tried to replicate them.  Strangely what I created never looked anything like what they had done.  It was always my interpretation of what they had done, although by doing this I found my ‘comfort zone’ which I guess is my unique style.  I am always learning and experimenting so I have no doubt that my style will develop and change, but I’d like to think it will still be recognisable.

Which medium do you prefer to use when illustrating?

I love using crayons.  They create an amazing grainy texture and always make me feel like I am five again – which is a good mindset to have when you are creating illustrations for children’s picture books.

Could you tell us a bit about any of your upcoming projects?

I am terrible for having lots of projects on the go at the same time.  My main focus at the moment is really just preparing for the launch ‘The Girl who Stole the Stars’ and looking at how to best market this and make the most from the opportunity.  I am in the process of creating teaching resources, building content online, and organising author/illustrator events and school visits all around the book launch.  I am also in the early stages of writing the sequel to ‘The Girl who Stole the Stars’ as well as revisiting a story I wrote last year about a Puffin that I keep coming back to…some stories just don’t leave me alone!

Who are your favourite illustrators and why?

There are so many!  Going back to my childhood and my Scottish roots my favourite illustrator/author would be Mairi Hedderwick who is the creator of the Katie Morag series.  Her work always had so much detail and I would spend hours with my Dad looking for all the hidden gems she planted within her illustrations.  

I also love work by Oliver Jeffers, Lisa Stubbs, and Polly Dunbar which is where I draw a lot of inspiration from.

Which books/authors do you choose to read for pleasure?

With three kids under five reading for pleasure is, unfortunately, a rare occasion!  

‘The Girl who Stole the Stars’ is out October 2020 and is available for pre-order from Waterstones;

https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-girl-who-stole-the-stars/corrina-campbell/corrina-campbell/9781999955670

Chris Naylor-Ballesteros - Interview Q&A (Author & Illustrator)

Hello Everybody! I'm delighted to be posting another brilliant interview today. Chris Naylor-Ballesteros is a children's picture book writer and illustrator. He's had books published by Bloomsbury and Nosy Crow.  One particularly great book (published last year by Nosy Crow Books) is The Suitcase. This is about a strange-looking animal who arrives pulling a big suitcase. He meets other animals who are curious about what is inside. What on earth could be in that suitcase? A teacup? Maybe. A table and chair? That is for you to find out in this interview. Why not take a journey with us and see what you would put in your SUITCASE?

The Suitcase was published by Nosy Crow Books. It's a picture book about people who are forcibly displaced around the world. What gave you the idea to write about this as a picture book?
My previous books were more light-hearted and were about animal characters that seemed to confuse reality and fantasy. I was trying to retain that element in the next story and, seen as the first two were about food and then companionship, I was looking at the theme of home or shelter - another very basic, universal need. I'd also been thinking of a story idea about a wall that divided two populations and the misconceptions about what was on the other side. This was roughly around the time of the US presidential election campaign and the Brexit referendum in which the politics of division and denial of others were (and still are) gaining a lot of ground.

But the wall idea was a bit stuck and I was doodling and drew a little animal figure with a ruck-sack at the bottom of the wall, looking confused and lost. I started to think about this character and wondered where it was from, where it was going and what might be in its bag. The wall was put to one side and the animal became the centre of a new story that thankfully came together quite quickly.

If you could only put five objects in the suitcase, what would you choose and why?
Strangely, though I've asked this question a lot visiting schools and libraries, I've never yet been asked it. Well, a phone, a torch, a pencil, and some paper, a cuddly toy, a fridge, a million pounds. These were some of the suggestions I was given by school children - all pretty useful items, especially the cash. It's probably impossible to answer without having the urgent, instinctive thinking that must come when living through such a situation in real life. If I discount practical objects, I'm sure I'd take a family photograph just like in the book. But which one? Oh heck...

How do you start the process of writing and illustrating a book?
Usually, it starts with a spontaneous premise or idea that feels interesting. I have quite a lot of those but ultimately most aren't strong enough to carry a good story. So a lot of work is in trying to develop them all as far as they'll go by asking hundreds of 'what if...?' questions, and then recognising when something is worth pushing onwards or should be abandoned. Most fall by the wayside and those left standing I keep niggling away at until they feel like they might work. Sometimes (like for The Suitcase) a doodle or sketch helps things develop but often it's just a lot of thinking time without even putting pencil to paper that much. The hardest thing to do is to develop a natural story that feels credible, rather than just some characters and an interesting premise, followed by a series of occurrences that don't have any fundamental meaning.
It rarely feels like creative work, it more often feels like you're trying to repair something that looked interesting at first but you took the back off and messed about with the workings and all the springs and sprockets flew out. Then you have to put it all back together in a way that no one notices you'd tinkered with it and also that you'd had to throw a load of redundant nuts and bolts in the bin.

Another picture book you've produced was I'm Going To Eat This Ant which is very humorous. Where did the humour come from and how is this important to the story? 
That was my first published book and in effect, I set myself a brief before writing it: I wanted a funny story with two characters that were obviously in some sort of conflict from the outset - like a cat/mouse situation that needed no backstory or explanation but something less often seen - eg. an ant and an anteater. I then wanted it to be short and quite repetitive in structure with a punchline or surprise at the end. Then I just thought it through. I think a lot of the humour came from the cartoon brutality in the story. The ant is imagined to be squished, smoked, sliced, sizzled and sautéed but seems to take it all fairly stoically, without reacting or even seeming to notice. Of course, none of it is actually happening in reality - just in the mind of a deluded anteater but one publisher did reject it on the grounds that it was too cruel. They mustn't have seen Tom & Jerry or Roadrunner.

What do you think makes a really good picture book?
The stories that really work for me are those that are so well put together and uncontrived that they feel like they weren't written at all but unfurl themselves like a rolled-up rug that's been given a little shove.
Even some really successful, enjoyable picture books can have a little moment where you feel the author having to slightly bend or push things in a certain way for it to work out how they needed.
I like books that divide the storytelling between the words and the pictures so that sometimes the text leads the way and the pictures play catch-up and then vice-versa.

What golden rules do you follow when writing and illustrating a picture book?
I really don't have any - I could probably do with some though. I just feel very happy when I think I might have a good story that works, often before anything is even written or drawn.

Could you tell us a bit about any of your upcoming projects?
I have three more books to come with Nosy Crow and I feel really lucky that they've shown me such commitment. I also have two books to come elsewhere, details of which are mostly under wraps for now. The first of the three Nosy Crow books is finished and is called Out Of Nowhere. It looks quite different to 'The Suitcase' and it was nice to have a visual change of direction.
It was due out this May but the Coronavirus crisis has put it on hold for now. Most distribution channels are barely operating and all the independent bookshops (many of whom really supported 'The Suitcase') are of course closed for the moment. I can't wait to see them all re-open their doors again and I really hope they make it through the current crisis and can flourish afterwards. 

Do you have a Portfolio? If so, what is your favourite piece of work?
Before starting my first book a few years ago I tried - unsuccessfully - to find freelance work as an editorial illustrator and I did a lot of personal projects based on newspaper or magazine articles to build an online portfolio. At the time we lived in a small apartment so, out of necessity, all my work was digital. It looks a lot different from the books I've made since then. Some of them I still like but I wouldn't go back to that style now.

Which illustrators have inspired you over the years? 
I was a relative late-comer to this world and only got inspired when I started buying books for my children, and realising how varied and graphically interesting and beautiful and odd they could be. Some of these were Tyranosaurus Drip by Julia Donaldson and David Roberts, Cockatoos by Quentin Blake, the 'hat' books by Jon Klassen, The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers, The Gruffalo and Stick Man by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, Say Hello To Zorro by Carter Goodrich. Since then I've been inspired by Carson Ellis, Sydney Smith, Shaun Tan, Benji Davies, Yuval Zommer, Amandine Piu, Pascal Blanchet amongst many others - a long list of amazing illustrators and writers. It's such a massive world and I'm still discovering 'new' things that are in fact very old and well-known.

What tips would you give any aspiring writers and/or illustrators? 
I don't know if I'm qualified or experienced enough to give advice but I've learned some things that were useful to me. I spent a lot of time early on worrying about finding my own illustration style. I made two different-looking versions of the Ant book one after the other, neither of which felt right, before I realised I should stop over-thinking my 'style' and just try to be a bit more intuitive and natural. So I picked up a nib-pen and ink and watercolour and went ahead more instinctively. This third version took about three weeks (ie. very quick) and that was the one that was submitted and finally accepted by a publisher. Then I worked on it with an editor and a book-designer to refine it but, in essence, it didn't change much for publication.

I've also learnt that persistence is useful, both in hammering away at an interesting idea until it either hits a brick wall or it starts to work. Also persistence in how your work fares once you submit it to agents or publishers. Rejections are hard to take when they happen but you can only learn from them and move on. My first submitted book (before 'Ant') was taken on by an agent and then steadily rejected by all the editors it was sent to. But they were often quite constructive rejections that showed there might be some potential and it encouraged me to eventually pick myself up, learn from it and have another go. Also, on more than one occasion I can honestly say that, with hindsight, a rejection led to something better happening that wouldn't otherwise have happened. It never feels that way at the time though!

Beth Webb Children's Author/Illustrator - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books Festive Interview

Here is another Mr Ripley's festive edition Q&A, but this time by Beth Webb. This interview really made me smile and was very enjoyable to read. I think this was probably due to my personal invite to the New Year literary dinner party which you will see in the great answers below. I would like to give a warm festive mince pie welcome to the author and illustrator of so many great books, Beth Webb. See you in the New Year Beth :)

You have written fourteen or more books for children and teenagers. Which one is your personal favourite? 
Sorry, I can’t do ‘one’. 
My favourite is always the most recent one, in this case the Fleabag books for MG children, re-vamped and illustrated versions of old favourites. 
However, at the moment, I have two other favourites (sorry) – both of which are looking for publishers (I have a fab new agent, so fingers crossed). Both are YA books – one is about a girl who sees crimes before they happen but no one believes her, and the other is a Victorian tale of madness and injustice. I love both of these books and I’d be over the moon to see them in print. 

You are an author and illustrator. If you had to choose between them, which one would you choose and why? 
That’s a difficult one. I don’t think I could choose. My writing helps me relax from my illustration work and my art de-stresses me when I’m writing. 
I do all sorts of artwork, I’ve illustrated about 25 books for teens and adults with learning disabilities, (https://booksbeyondwords.co.uk/) which is a very stylised approach with a very exacting brief – to express difficult life issues without words. That can be very exhausting, and when I’ve finished a book, writing comes as a relief. The ‘Fleabag’ books are easier and fun – light relief from the rigours of writing. I also do storyboarding – my last job was for a music promo video. That is quite a simple style, but has to be done very fast for a tight deadline – usually yesterday! Again, it’s a hoot which cheers me up. 
Deep down I think writing is my first love, but if it isn’t going as I’d like, I’m awfully pleased to take a break and just draw for a few weeks. It gives me a chance to step back and see my stories afresh when I return to them. 

Why do you think animals make great characters in books? 
I love using animals as characters. I’ve used a mouse, a fox, several cats in the Fleabag series, and a horse and a dog that were very important in the Star Dancer books. They aren’t all as rude and loquacious as Fleabag, but they play vital roles. 

Primarily, animals love us unconditionally, and we can love them back without complications. If we can’t have our own pets, we can love them in books. 
Beyond that, in real life we can relate to animals when we feel that another human can’t or won’t understand (or when we’re alone). This is vitally important – especially for children and young people struggling with life. Children need pets or cuddly toys to talk to, just as homeless people need their dogs; that faithful friend who never lets them down and keeps them going. Children’s literature is an excellent place to explore this relationship. 
Most important of all, (especially with books such as Fleabag), the story animal says and does things human characters can’t. Often these reflect what the reader wishes they could say or do – so it’s a sort of vicarious exercise and a release of tension. (cf A Monster Calls – Dowd and Ness use a tree in this case, but it works in the same way!) 

What are you working on at the moment? 
I’m editing Hebsibah Brown, the Victorian story I mentioned earlier. I’m also working on a book about sight loss for people with learning disabilities. 

Which book illustrators/authors would you have at a literary New Year dinner party and why? 
That bloke Vincent Ripley – obviously. Not only because he’s been kind enough to talk to me, but bloggers and reviewers bring a vital perspective to any dinner conversation. The illustrator Edward Ardizzone because he inspired me with his visual storytelling as a child, my dad, Stan Webb, because although he was never published, he taught me that stories come out of heads, and Ursula le Guin because she’s so brilliant and wise. 

What book would you recommend to readers to get them into the winter/festive spirit? 
The Dark is Rising, by Susan Cooper. The menace built up by the silent, perpetually falling snow is just breath-taking. (Don’t watch the film, it’s a travesty of the book) 
The Children of Green Knowe by Lucy Boston. When the statue comes alive I hold my breath and long to be there…. 
And if I may blow my own trumpet: Fleabag and the Ring’s End (book 3 of my trilogy, but it also stands alone www.bethwebb.co.uk/fleabag-and-the-rings-end

Everyone loves books as gifts which book would you give or receive this Christmas? 
I’d like to give and receive Philip Pullman’s Dust please, Santa. Oh, and there’s about a million other books, so another full-wall bookcase. And another wall to put it on…

What's the meaning of Christmas for you and your characters? 
Ah. Hum. D’ye know, I’m not going to answer that. I want people to come to their own conclusions and find (and keep) what they need from both the traditional Christmas story and my own Christmas and midwinter tales. Once a tale is told, it is essential that the reader is allowed to use it as they see fit 

What do you most like about Christmas? 
Midnight Christmas Eve. It’s cold outside, warm and sparkly inside, and everyone’s settled down for the night and waiting in the silence…. 
(Except in my house; my three grown-up sons will all be glued to Die Hard, drinking beer and eating home made bread. But that’s still fun.)

What superpower would you give to someone for Christmas and why? 
I’d want creatives in every medium to have the gift of healing for our poor, grief and anger-torn world. 

I visited an art studio in Turkey once, and one of the artists explained that in his view, ‘Artists are the doctors of society.’ I’ve never forgotten that. 
I don’t think it’s too much to ask. 

Merry Christmas folks, and thanks for having me, Vincent Ripley! 

(Photo by Vik Martin)

Beth Webb is a British children's author. Her books include the popular Fleabag Trilogy and her novel for young adults Star Dancer, published by Macmillan Publishers. Webb's interests include British folklore, and she visits ancient sites of the UK as part of her research for her books. Though a full-time writer, she also runs creative writing courses for young people, particularly at the Kilve Court Residential Educational Centre (Star Dancer is dedicated to the "Kilvites", a group of young writers who attended there).

www.bethwebb.co.uk 

Represented by Hannah Sheppard of DHH agency.

Scottish Book Trust: Liz Lochhead - Free Live Author Event Celebrating Burns

Scotland’s National Poet Liz Lochhead is to give a live broadcast to children across Scotland during a special Robert Burns celebration on Thursday 26 January at 11am. The Scottish Friendly Meet Our Authors Special Event, run by Scottish Book Trust, will be streamed live from BBC Scotland in Glasgow and available after to watch again for free from the Scottish Book Trust website. The broadcast will be most suited to children from P6 – S4 (9-16 year olds) and any fan of Scottish poetry.

Your readers can join over 10,000 pupils across the UK watching the event live by following this link:http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/authors-live-with-liz-lochhead.   Alternatively – I know I haven’t given you much notice – the event can be downloaded or streamed from next Thursday following the same link.

Liz will be celebrating the poetry of Burn’s as well as reading her own work. We’re sure this event is going to be really inspirational as no-one can make Burns come to life like Liz can.

Tom Percival - Why I Read YA Books - Guest Blog Post - 'A Home for Mr Tipps'

                                     

Welcome to another guest post. However, this is perhaps an author/illustrator you are less familiar with, but certainly one that I believe deserves the recognition amongst other great illustrators. Without even realising it, you may have already come across Tom's work if you have read or seen any of the Skulduggery series by Derek Landy - Tom has illustrated many of the book covers. However, he has now ventured into the writing and illustrating of picture books. His second book 'A Home for Mr Tipps' was published earlier this month and is certainly a book to read. The bold and vibrant illustrations accompany a beautifully poignant story.  

Thank you to Tom for this very interesting and revealing blog post. Hopefully, this will help to establish Tom's creative talent into the minds and lives of many more adults and children.

I’ve enjoyed reading for nearly as long as I can remember. 

My earliest memory (just in case you happen to be interested) is of staring down a circular ventilation shaft which was hidden away in a cupboard in the caravan that we had just moved into and was going to be my home for the next five years. (The cupboard wasn’t my home by the way, it was the whole caravan, things weren’t that bad…)

Anyway, not too long after that, I started to read - pretty standard fare at first, short tales about cats sitting on mats and such like. From this I graduated to Peter and Jane and their dog Pat, who seemed to be particularly adept at seeing balls and liking them. 

Anyway, great as all these books were for teaching me how to read, none of them were got me excited about reading.

That first happened when I read the Tim and the Hidden People series by Sheila K. McCullagh. These were books filled with stories of witches, ghosts and magic. It would be fair to say my future reading habits were pretty much set in stone when I first read Tim and Tobias (which is what inspired me to name the naughty ghost in Tobias and the Super Spooky Ghost Book)

From that point on, it was all about the supernatural. I lived in a remote location in South Shropshire, pinned down by the Stiperstones on one side and the Long Mynd on the other – it was a place that easily lent itself to my flights of fantasy. Why wouldn’t the Devil be sitting in his throne on the Stiperstones when the mist fell? It all seemed perfectly plausible to me.

Fast forward a couple of years and hopefully this goes some way to explaining why I read a YA book about a nineteen year-old-boy when I was just nine-years-old. You see, the book was called Devil on the Road by Robert Westall and it was all about time travel and witches. My younger self was absolutely enthralled by it and it became one of those books that I loved so much it’s been tattooed on my brain ever since.

So it’s strange that until now I have never re-read the Devil on the Road. Having recently done a lot of design and illustration work on various YA books, I was curious to see how the YA world of the late seventies (Devil on the Road was originally published in 1977) would compare to today’s books for the same audience. 

The book is narrated in the first person, so the first thing that struck me was the way in which the main character, John Webster, is portrayed. 

He’s a young man with a big chip on his shoulder. It seems as though no-one can please him - everyone’s either a snob or a yob. He’s self-assured, difficult and aggressive, but also morally decent, intelligent and at times very tender. All of these conflicting traits serve to make him a very believable person. 

He might not always make the ‘right’ choices, but the complexities within his character make you engage with him and ultimately want the best for him. To me it somehow means more if you grow fond of a ‘difficult’ character than if an author just creates someone everybody would immediately fall in love with.

As an exercise in pacing it’s a classic slow burn – building in intensity with each chapter to a dramatic climax. The supernatural elements of the story weave in and out, so subtly at first that you could easily miss them if the title didn’t allude to them.

Over time, you realise that the old barn that John Webster stays in on his summer motorcycle trip, links him directly with a distant time - a time of witch-hunts, Oliver Cromwell and the Civil War. 

It’s the atmosphere that really pulled me in to this story - both as a nine year old and now at the ripe old age of thirty-three. I can still feel the tension in the air and John’s excitement as he feels himself being pulled out of the present and into an uncertain past. The ambiguous use of witchcraft and folklore draws you into a world of magic and excitement that you truly want to be a part off. I remember going off for long walks as a kid, hoping that when I came back to my village it would be 300 years in the past. To the best of my knowledge this never happened…

Halfway through the story John is thoroughly entangled with a C17th girl suspected of being a witch. So John does what any decent, right-minded person does and helps her clear her name – she’s got to be innocent, there’s no such thing as witches, right?

Over the course of the story, the author makes you question every character’s motives, including the narrator’s own, until you feel ultimately just as confused as John - falling in and out of time, never quite knowing who you can trust, or what is going to happen.

Events described early on in the book have a pivotal role in the story at the end, so the entire piece hangs together really nicely with a satisfying ‘Ahh, now that explains it…’ moment. 

Ultimately, you half get what you want for John Webster - he escapes the time slip he’s caught within, but you can’t help but wonder ‘was it the best thing that would ever happen to him?’ Even he seems unsure, which ties in well with his contradictory character. 

Apart from some occasional slang that seems a bit outdated now everything else about the book stands up really well.

I was wondering if this would feel ‘softer’ than more recent YA titles such as the excellent Department 19 and Divergent. Whilst the description of violence is less graphic, the brutal reality of the aggression described and the motivation for John’s violence is conveyed so unflinchingly that I certainly didn’t feel mollycoddled by the lack of splattered blood.

It would seem that the YA readers of 33 years ago had just the same passions for excitement, mystery and drama - and Robert Westall was more than capable of supplying them with it.