Fiona Shaw - Outwalkers - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books Author Interview (David Fickling Books)

One of my favourite books this year has been Fiona Shaw's Outwalkers which was published back in February 2018. This book really resonated with me and took me back to the spirit of my childhood. Therefore, I took the opportunity to ask the author some questions about this book as well as about her writing career. If you enjoy this post then you could always check out my book review for this book. HERE 

For more information on the author, you can find her on Twitter: @fionakshaw or check here website HERE

Welcome, Fiona to Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books...

Outwalkers is your first book for a young adult audience, what is it about and why should we read it? 

Outwalkers is a road-trip adventure story about a gang of children trying to escape from England, into Scotland. At the center of the story are Jake, and his dog Jet. It's set in a slightly (only slightly) future England in which all borders have been closed; England has left the EU, and a wall's been built between England and Scotland. I wanted to imagine a world very like the one we know now, but in which some things have hardened, or become more extreme. So there's more surveillance, education has become a tool of the government, and there is far less tolerance for those who are different. 

Some of what I only imagined, when I started writing this story, has now happened!

My Outwalker gang must be resourceful and brave, and they must look out for each other before all else if they are to make their escape. The stakes get higher and higher as they travel further north, and they risk their lives and their freedom in their attempt. 

Outwalkers is a story about the world we live in now, and about what it might become. But it's also a story full of hope because of the gang's refusal to accept this, and their determination to find what they need to live. 
You should read it because it's a gripping adventure story, a story for our time, and a story about why the adults need the children most of all. 

How do you go about writing convincing characters? 

When I start writing a character, I usually know a few important things about them. But it's only in the course of writing them into the story, particularly as they have to face challenges, that I work out who they really are. And then, often, I'll go back to their earlier scenes and fill them out, once I know a bit more about them. 

You are a senior lecturer in Creative Writing, what did you learn from this job that helped you to write this book? 
When I started teaching at Northumbria University, one important thing I learned was that many of my students were reading, and sometimes writing, dystopic fiction: they were passionately interested in what might happen to our planet. Then I had a dream about a boy and his dog trying to escape from England, and I woke and thought: that would be a great story to write, and a story children and young adults might enjoy reading, so I'll write it for them. 

The book is set in a futuristic time (which I really loved), do you think some of the ideas could possibly turn out like this in our future? 

Some of the ideas are already happening: the chip under the skin that means you are always locatable - that's a real thing now. And the development of nano-technology for use in medicine has made extraordinary leaps forward - but of course anything that can be used for good also has the potential for being used to harm. Surveillance is becoming more and more extensive. The C4 programme Hunted uses this as the central premise for its volunteers trying to evade detection. And look at how much surveillance there is! 
I began Outwalkers before the Scottish independence referendum, and before the Brexit referendum was even a twinkle in David Cameron's eye. England is now closing its borders, and there may yet be a Scottish vote for independence. A border between England and Scotland may still happen - though I hope there'll never be a wall again. 

Did you let the story and the characters take you on a journey or did you map out the whole plot and know exactly what you wanted to write? 

I knew what my characters were trying to do - reach Scotland. But how they would do that, whether they would achieve it, and what would happen to them on the way: that was a voyage of discovery for me too. 

Is there a message in your novel that you hope readers will grasp? 

Watch out for governments who say that more walls will make us all safer and happier. Don't believe them. 

I have recently found out that one of your writing projects has made it to a film. If this book was made into a film who would you like to direct it and which actors would you choose to play some of the characters in the book? 

I think Danny Boyle would be brilliant with it: his direction of the boys in Slumdog Millionaire is terrific; he directs action so well; and he would understand the plight that Outwalkers England was in. 

Actors: An actress like Jennifer Lawrence, as I first saw her in Winter's Bone would be wonderful as Swift. 

I was really moved by the child actors (Aaron Gelkoff and Teni Taiwo were two of them) in a play I saw by Tony Kushner called Caroline or Change: boys with that range of performance would be great for characters of Jake, Davie, Ollie. 
They would need to love dogs of course. 
Jet: I imagine Jet as a black labrador/collie cross: he would be a v important part of the story. 

What did you learn from writing this book? 

I learned a great deal about pace - keeping the story moving. And about the challenge of writing complex material in such a way that it works for both child and adult readers. 

What are you writing next? 

I have started a follow-up to Outwalkers. 

How important are stories to you? What do you like to read? 

Stories are incredibly important to me - they're how I understand the world – and I read all the time: fiction, non-fiction, newspapers, magazines. I've just started reading Will Hill's After the Fire. I've just finished reading Colm Toibin's Bad Blood: A Walk Along the Irish Border (because I'm very interested in border questions, and Ireland). I've got a stack of books to start, some children's books, some adults. My niece and nephew (bookworms aged 11 and 12) are great for recommendations for children's books. 

More than anything, I love getting lost in a story, true or invented. So I always make sure I have a book with me, just in case I can snatch a few minutes. It means I like coats with big pockets!

Sarah Todd Taylor - Max the Detective Cat: The Phantom Portrait - Interview (Q&A) - Nosy Crow

Hello, everybody. Today, on Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books I have a lovely interview with Sarah Todd Taylor, author of Max The Detective Cat series. The Phantom Portrait is the second book to be published by Nosy Crow. Max is ready again to solve another case! The book is armed with humour and charm as he faces a case with some ghostly goings-on. If you are not familiar with the series, then please read my review of the first book HERE. Whilst the interview below should give you a brilliant insight into the author and her books. I hope you all enjoy a good start to the week.

Max the Detective Cat: The Phantom Portrait is the second book in the series, tell us a little about it and where it fits into the series?

In the first book, Max was finding a new home in The Theatre Royal and ‘finding his paws’ as a detective on his first case. He is a bit more confident in this one, but still has some of his old worries about whether he will be forgotten by his new family. The theatre company are invited to spend a week in a castle in the middle of the country, performing a new play on Halloween night to celebrate the birthday of Lord Fawley’s daughter, Arabella. The company soon find their rehearsals disrupted by ghostly goings on and talk of hauntings in the castle. But Max suspects that someone is playing tricks on the Fawley castle and that the peculiar happenings have more to do with old family jewels than old family curses. I loved being able to bring out Max and Oscar’s friendship more in this one. Instead of just having chats on the roof of the theatre, Oscar is right there in the middle of the action, helping Max solve the case. 

How do you select the names of your characters?

For some characters, the names came easily. I knew that I wanted to call Miss Julier after a good friend who I based the character on, and Oscar, Sylvia and Agnes just sprang to mind, but sometimes it can be so hard. I try to think about what my characters are like and then find names that sound a little like the adjectives that I might use to describe them. So Sylvia sounds light and silvery just like the sparkly character she is. I had a very specific reason for calling giving one character in The Disappearing Diva the surname ‘Spinel’. It’s a tiny hidden mystery in the book and I often wonder if any readers have worked it out....

What’s the most difficult thing about writing animal-based characters?

At the beginning of writing the Max books, I decided that I wanted Max to be ‘all cat’ so he doesn’t get to do anything a real cat couldn’t, including talk. That means that finding a way for him to communicate the solution to the humans so that the villain can be brought to justice can be a real challenge. It helps keep the books much more action based, though, which makes them lots of fun to write. 

The other challenge is doors - life would be much simpler for cats if us humans hadn’t invented doors. I am forever having to find inventive ways for Max and Oscar to creep into places they shouldn’t be. 

Let’s talk about writing! How do you want your readers to react when they read the first and last pages of your book?

At the start I want them to be intrigued and to know that this story is for them, that it will be fun. If a reader has been kind enough to pick my book up, I want to pay that back with a good read that they’ll enjoy. At the end, I hope they put the book down feeling satisfied that the mystery has been solved without feeling cheated. It’s so frustrating when a mystery lets you down by being solved too easily. I would never have the humans solve it ‘for’ Max and I don’t think my readers would be happy if I did. I hope they feel happy for Max and Oscar too. I’m very fond of both of them and hope that my readers are too. 

How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?

Eek! I started writing books when I was a teenager. I wrote three books about a rather hapless king who was always coming up with terrible ideas that he thought were wonderful. As well as those I’ve got one finished and two half-finished books and a bundle of projects that never quite got off the first page. They all feed into the process, though. Nothing in the work we create is ever wasted. Bits of it will find their way into other projects, or into the way we view what we are working on. It all helps. 

The first two books have been illustrated by Nicola Kinnear. What's the process like between you both? What do you think the readers gain from the illustrations inside the books?

Nicola is amazing. When I see her illustrations it feels as though she has been looking at all the characters I can see in my head. I adore how she draws and the energy she gets into all the scenes. The illustrations add massively to the books. I love an illustrated book. They are so special and it feels very unfair that we don’t get to have illustrations in our books when we are grown ups. With Max, because it is set in the past, I think it’s doubly helpful to give that visual context for the reader. Nicola helps to show what the world Max lives in looks like, which helps them to understand the story better. 

Do you have anything else you would like to add?

Just a MASSIVE thank you to everyone who has read Max. I love hearing from readers and it’s an absolute honour and a joy to be allowed to create stories that go into bookshops and libraries and to work with amazing people like Nicola and everyone at Nosy Crow.

Sarah Todd Taylor is a children’s writer living in beautiful mid-Wales. Her first book, Arthur and Me, won the Firefly Children’s Book Competition 2014. She loves cats, puzzles and the theatre, three things that made their way into my Max the Detective Cat series which is published by Nosy Crow.  For more information check out her website here: https://sarahtoddtaylor.com or Twitter: @scraphamster 

Andy Briggs - Drone Racer - Interview (Q&A) - Published by Scholastic UK

It's brilliant to have Andy Briggs on Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books today to answer some questions on his latest book - Drone Racer. The book was recently published on the 6th September 2018 by Scholastic books in the UK. It's probably the first book to feature the sport of Drone Racing. Technology and gadgets are blended together in an action-packed story that will thrill all. I'm a very big fan of Andy's books as he always delivers super narratives and engaging fast-paced stories that everybody will love regardless of age and gender. 

Can you tell us about Drone Racer from a film directors point of view?

Drone Racer is an idea that I always felt fitted into those feel-good movies from the 1980s… but set now. I was brought up on sci-fi-adventure stories, such as ET, The Last Starfighter, My Science Project, Batteries Not Included, Flight of the Navigator, to name just a few. I wanted this to be that kind of story, one you would expect Spielberg to make during the height of those classic Amblin Films.

            With young protagonists, shadowy villains, and an artificially intelligent racing drone, my aim was to create an adventure my readers would love to experience themselves.

Describe this book in ten keywords

An action packed childhood adventure for geeks of all ages.

What makes Drone Racer an exciting read for children and why? Do you think adults will also love it?

Ultimately, as a creator I enjoy writing about worlds I know (at least in my head!) and adventures I personally would love to have. Drone Racer is very much that labour of love. Set against the canvas of the emerging new esport of drone racing (yes, it’s a real sport around the world, with very real prizes!), readers of all ages will experience a new, yet familiar world. 

            We enter the story through our three drone racing team members, Carson, Trix and Eddie, who are ordinary kids. Carson lives with his estranged father, Eddie is a bit of a geek who never seems to fit in, and Trix is an engineering genius –a girl who is shattering a boy oriented world. When they discover an artificially intelligent drone called Vanta, they embark on a spectacular adventure that takes them around the globe… as a mysterious force pursues them…

Has technology inspired you to write this book? If so, how?

Most of my books revolve around technology. My pervious series, THE INVENTORY, was about the world’s greatest gadgets hidden from the rest of the world and it allowed me to combine my two joys – cool tech and travelling the world!

            With Drone Racer, I had the opportunity to focus the entire book on the wonderful world of quad-copters – drones to you and me. It's a technology everybody seems to know about. They have been one of the most popular Christmas presents over the last few years and when I am on a school tour and ask the kids who owns a drone, I am amazed by the number of hands that go up. It’s pretty incredible.

            When I discovered drone racing as an emerging esport, I instantly saw a brilliant arena in which to set a story… I just needed a story.

            We’re all used to talking to our phones and home hubs, so why not drones. And what if they not only answer back, but have personalities of their own? That’s when I realized I could push the technology further by making Vanta artificially intelligent; turning her into a real character. It was a joy to blend tech with a fun main character!

What is your favourite gadget?

I suppose it would have to be the thing I use every day, my mobile phone. But I am tending to use the phone less as a phone, and more for assisting in using even better technology. I use it to fly a drone (of course!), via a headset so the screen becomes the view point of the drone’s camera. I’m now also using it with more and more augmented reality apps because that’s going to be the next big thing…

If this was ever made into a film which actors would you choose to play the lead characters in the book and why? 

Carson, Trix and Eddie are all young, so there are not that many actors who would fit the bill (although I have seen some amazing youngsters in the theatre lately). I think finding new talent, as they did with Harry Potter, would be the way to go. But for our bad guy, I always had one person in mind… the awesome Rachel McAdams. I’m not going to tell you too much about the villain… but she’s it!

We know you have a passion for 80's and 90's films. Which film do you think would work the best if it featured a Drone in a revamped version and why?

Ha! Brilliant question… the obvious one is Batteries Not Included as the little space aliens in there are, kinda, drones. If Goonies had a modern makeover then they would definitely have some kind of tricked out drone to help them on their adevnture!

I really love the book cover as it is very appealing, what are your thoughts on it? Do you think good book covers play a big part in the way we choose books to read?

The old saying, “you can’t judge a book by its cover”, is true. But that doesn’t mean people don’t do just that. These days it’s less the kids who are judging the covers but the retailers, such as Waterstones, who now – quite wrongly – have a say on cover design.

            I have to say, when I first saw the cover I was instantly taken back to the covers of my old Commodore 64 games (for young readers, that was a computer that had a whole 64k of memory. K, not Gb, and for that you got dozens of levels of coolness, music and animation. Now a similar game will take up a hundred Mbs on my phone!). It was as if I was looking at a cover from my past that was strangely also futuristic!

What tips would you give children who are interested in writing a sci-fi fantasy adventure? 

There is no such thing as a bizarre idea! Just go away and write it, and don’t worry if it seems too futuristic. The chances are, when your twice as old, your sci-fi idea will start becoming a reality. We need pioneers to think ahead, to try and second guess how the world will change – and we could all do with more adventures in our lives. If we can’t have them now, then let’s read about them.

Twitter: @abriggswriter

Website: www.andybriggs.co.uk

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books - Interview with Karl James Mountford - Freelance Children's Illustrator

Welcome, Karl James Mountford, to Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books. It's an absolute pleasure to host you on our little website. We loved your answers to our questions and finding out more about your amazing artwork, particularly for children's books. So without further ado, let me introduce Karl and his amazing post. I hope you all enjoy this. 

Karl James Mountford is an illustrator who works in both traditional and digital media. He has created artwork for such titles as ‘The Uncommoners ‘ by Jennifer Bell, published by Penguin Random House (2017), and ‘The Peculiars’ by Kieran Larwood with Chicken House publishing (2018), to name just a couple. Karl specialises in book cover design and chapter illustrations but also works on picture books, with recent titles including ‘Maurice the Unbeastly’ by Amy Dixon, published by Sterling Children’s Books (2017), and ‘The Curious Case of the Missing Mammoth’ by Ellie Hattie with Little Tiger Press (2017).

Karl currently lives and works in Wales, where his sketch-books rarely get a day off.

How did you become an illustrator?

I went to art college and then Uni to study illustration. But I’ve been drawing since really young.

After uni I started freelancing, the first two years were a bit rough financially and work was few and far between. So I had many a part-time job then I started hunting for an illustration agent while building a whole new portfolio or work.

I didn’t apply to many as I was a bit nervous about rejection but you build a thick skin and after a while, I got signed up with the Bright agency (2nd time lucky) which was a game changer and have now been able to illustrate full time.

What is your favourite medium in which to draw/paint?

Pencil and paper. I know it sounds boring, but it’s always nice (for me) to just sketch using those tools.

Can you give us a good example of a great illustration and what makes it great to you?

A great illustration…anything by Shaun Tan, especially in the picture book ‘The Red Tree’. It’s stunning but his compositions and use of colours are on another level. I think he just delivers the emotion from the page to the reader, whatever that emotion is. Even if you were reading it in another language, the illustrations tell so much of the story.

What is the proudest moment of your career so far?

Work-wise… I'm not sure - I'm quietly proud of it all… I’m a bit proud that I didn’t give up on freelance and stuck it out. Even though some days I think, "Oh maybe you should have been a vet?”  But that thought is usually short-lived because I love what I do.

What would you like to say to the publishing world about illustrations?

Will have to be careful here, don’t bite the hand that feeds you and all that. Erm..the publishing world is a business at the end of the day BUT I think sometimes publishers and sales teams etc can over think the artwork. This is understandable as everyone wants the book to do well but the process can ‘clip the wings’ a bit of an artist, which isn’t great working conditions. However, when you find a client that gives you a bit of trust and freedom to create work that reflects the story inside and still be true to how the illustrator works, well that’s like a lottery win.
I think the most important thing regarding illustrations is that the artists/designers/illustrators are properly credited. For a long time, illustrators names were in a tiny font under the barcode - out of the way or not included at all! In some cases (especially in middle grade/YA and editorials) publishing houses, editors etc should strive to use their illustrator's names and artwork as a good tool to further a books longevity on the shelves. Whether it is credited on the front cover or clearly and visibly on the back.
I know there is a good argument that what's inside the book is the priority ..but 9/10 times people tend to pick up the book because of the cover and illustrations.

What projects get the creative juices flowing for you? 

I love stories that are set in the past or have a darker undertone. The style in past decades really resonates with me, from the clothes to the buildings, cars etc.

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

I’m working on the cover and internal illustrations for a new middle-grade book, which I’ve really fallen in love with. I read the manuscript in one night - it was that GREAT!. 

It’s a noir mystery by Sophie Green. I think it’s her debut book? I just think the world is gonna fall in love with it too and the main characters. Especially if your reading taste is a little darker, it’s got some right scary chapters … as a 29-year-old, I probably shouldn’t say that - but it’s just great. I can’t tell you how chuffed I am to be apart of it.

I'm working on Katherine Woodfine’s 2nd book in the new series ‘Taylor and Rose’ as we speak. I'm also (slowly) working on my own picture book. But I’m taking my sweet time on it as I love it but it needs to be thought about a bit more as it’s not going to be directed towards children as it’s main audience.

Who are your favourite illustrators and why?

Alice and Martin Provensons, Shaun Tan, all screen printers and there are some stellar current illustrators too, such as Zoe Persico, Matt Saunders, Cally Conway, Sonny Ross. I could list hundreds.

Where should a person start if they want to pursue a career in illustration?

It sounds daft, but just open a sketch-book and start drawing what interests you, then tackle the rest as it comes. 

What's the strangest question you've ever been asked?

I went to art school - most questions were strange and wonderful. 

Karl is represented by The Bright Group.
For any work, enquiries give my agents Arabella or Freddie a shout.

arabella@brightgroupinternational.com / freddie@thebrightagency.com

You can also find him lurking on Twitter: @karlj_mountford 

Claire Fayers - Mirror Magic Q&A Interview (Blog Tour)

Today we have the wonderful Claire Fayers visiting Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books. We are taking part in the Mirror Magic blog tour - please see the list of stops at the bottom of this post. This tour has been a fantastic opportunity to ask some teasing questions about the book and Claire's writing career.  

Mirror Magic was recently released on the 14th June 2018 and has been published by Macmillan Children’s Books. It's a cracking magical adventure, so please check out my book review HERE. 

How would you describe Mirror Magic to reluctant readers to encourage them to pick it up and start reading? 
I don’t blame you for not liking books. Books are annoying. They’re grumpy, they complain all the time and they never tell you anything useful until it’s too late. At least, The Book in Mirror Magic is like that. The Book can see the future, and the future does not look good. The magic that connects our world with the fairy Unworld is about to go terribly wrong. Maybe your chair will come to life and eat you, or maybe an Unworld skeleton will hunt you down and drag you off to the fairy dungeons. If The Book’s new guardians don’t find out what’s happening and put a stop to it, the whole world could end. 

You probably ought to read Mirror Magic, you know, just in case the world does end. You’ll want to be ready for it. 


Mirror mirror on the wall. Pick any character in the book and tell me what they would see when they looked into the magic mirror? 
Ah, I’m going to cheat a little here. The town of Wyse has six magic mirror and if you look into any of them you’ll see the same thing – a bored fairy receptionist waiting to hear what you want. 
But then, twelve-year-old Ava Harcourt arrives in Wyse, and when she looks into a mirror – just a plain, ordinary mirror, not even magical – she sees something she definitely shouldn’t. She sees a fairy boy who is just as surprised to see her. And that’s when the trouble starts. 


Welcome to Wyse. What enchantments are placed on the reader when they visit Wyse? 
You have to be careful in Wyse as nothing is how it seems. Fairy enchantments can only change appearance, but they are used everywhere. Your hotel might be painted pale blue one day and bright yellow the next. Your room will probably look twice the size it really is so you’ll keep bumping into the walls. You can buy enchantments to make you look taller, shorter, older, younger, fatter, thinner. You can turn your hair green and your nose purple. Make sure you visit the theatre, where the Wyse conjurors take it in turns to perform magic shows. If you’re lucky, you might even get to ask a fairy a question – just don’t trust the answer. 


Tell us about the writing process, how do your ideas take shape? 
The idea for Mirror Magic came from a conversation with my agent and the story changed a lot as I wrote it. I started with a picture in my head of a carriage rattling along a street and all the buildings were shimmering. From there I spent ages wrestling with Ava – of all my characters, she was the hardest to pin down. Was she rich or poor, where did she come from, was she alone at the start or with her family? Once I got that sorted, I wrote the first few chapters and an outline for my editor, then I set to work finishing a full draft – at which point Charles suddenly appeared shouting, ‘Hey, I want to be in the story too!’ And Charles is a great character so I put him in and hoped my editor wouldn’t notice (she did!) 

The whole thing, as you see, was quite chaotic – a lot more chaotic than my last two books (The Accidental Pirates) where I had a clear sense of the story right from the start. Maybe it’s because Mirror Magic is more mystery than adventure, and I had to uncover the mystery myself before I could write it. 


What predictions do you think the grumpy old book would make about the real world? 
I’ll tell you what predictions I’d like to see. 
A big increase in funding to schools and school libraries so every school can have a qualified librarian and an exciting stock of books. 
Regular storytimes become part of every school, and parents, excited about books, read with their children. 
Public libraries reopen with great celebrations. People flood in and whole shelves are left empty as books are borrowed. 
Everywhere, people are inspired to share their own stories. And, as we do, we see that the world is a bigger, more wonderful, more various place that we had ever imagined. 


Which actor would you like to see play the lead character from your book and why? 
This is the point at which I have to admit I watch very little in the way of film and TV and I’m hopeless at remembering actors. But I adore Studio Ghibli films – the Japanese animation studio that produced Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle and many more. I think Wyse, with its mixture of real world and spooky magic would make a perfect setting for a Ghibli film. So please, if anyone from the studio is reading this, come and visit Wyse. 

Where is your favourite place to write? 
I have two places. First, at home, where I have my own office with doors onto the garden and bookshelves all the way round the walls so I write surrounded by my favourite books. Then, roughly twice a week, I take my laptop and meet fellow author, Peter Bell, in The Coffi House near Roath Park in Cardiff. The staff are lovely there and they do great coffee. Peter and I sit in near silence for two hours and just write. 


I love the book cover, which has been brilliantly illustrated by Becka Moor, do you think that the book cover has an important role to play as part of the buying process? 
I am so pleased with the Mirror Magic book cover and incredibly lucky to have Becka. Yes, I think the cover plays a huge role in attracting readers. I know everyone says ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ but most of the time the cover is the first thing you see. Straight away it gives you an impression of the kind of book this is, who it’s aimed at and whether you’ll like it. A good cover will make sure the right readers pick up your book. 


How important are stories to you? What do you like to read? 
Stories are hugely important to me. When I was growing up, they gave me somewhere to escape to. Now I see stories as a fundamental part of who we are. They comfort us, inspire us and connect us one to another in a way nothing else can. 

I’ve always been drawn to fantasy, sci-fi, and adventure. I’m a big fan of Stephanie Burgis and Frances Hardinge, I love Sophie Anderson’s ‘The House with Chicken Legs’, and I nearly fell off my chair laughing at Lissa Evans’ ‘Wed Wabbit’. But I also love it when I discover a book I never thought I’d enjoy – such as ‘Kick’ by Mich Johnson. I have zero interest in football but the book really isn’t about football at all, it’s about hope and dreams and how stories drive us to keep going. 

For Mirror Magic, I re-read a lot of Victorian gothic. They’re set a bit later, but I wanted to capture the claustrophobic feel of a gothic mansion. And they’re all fantastic reads.

Claire Fayers was born and brought up in South Wales, an area of the country sadly deficient in dragons. Having studied English at University of Kent, Canterbury, she built a successful career writing short stories for women’s magazines until the lure of magic became too much and she wrote The Accidental Pirates: Voyage to Magical North. It was selected for Waterstones Book of the Month and shortlisted for the FCBG Children’s Book Award 2016, and its sequel, The Accidental Pirates: Journey to Dragon Island, was published in 2017. When she’s not writing, you’ll find Claire at her allotment. Mirror Magic is her third book with Macmillan Children’s Books.

You can find out more about Claire on her website – www.clairefayers.com

Or why not follow Claire on twitter – @ClaireFayers

R. S Holt – Modern Magic Interview Questions for Mr Ripley’s Enchanted Books (Adult)

One of the most intriguing books for me this year has to be Modern Magic by R.S. Holt. The book was published by The Book Publishing Guild, which is a well-established independent book publishing company from Brighton. It has been publishing books for over 30 years. This particular book is aimed at an adult audience with good-old fashioned magic at the heart of the story. I wanted to find out more about the book before I purchased it, so I decided to ask the author some questions. Please find below the responses. I hope you enjoy the post as much as I did. 

Modern Magic is an adult fiction that follows a group of friends who live normal lives as shopkeepers by the New Forest and in Bloomsbury. The reader discovers that they also share secret lives of magic. Their charming, amusing and intellectually rich narratives take the reader through magical experiment exploration and daring adventure - raising some surprising emotional conclusions. The Stories of the Overbury Shops are three separate successive stories within one novel, following Pip, Geoffrey and Eleanor - each with their own narrator.


What element are you most proud of in this book? 

When writing Modern Magic I wanted to set out explanations for problems generally disregarded in fantasy writing; for example: we usually meet only male goblins; transformation into animals has a string of practical difficulties; curses must have a science of their own, which my characters deal with by modern methods; they rationally investigate bases of group magic such as whether nakedness is significant. I also wanted to demonstrate to myself that intelligent and mostly good characters can be interesting and sympathetic. 


How do you sum up Modern Magic: Stories of the Overbury Shops? 
I’d describe Modern Magic as contemporary realist plus fantasy. The founder of this work is Edith Nesbit as acknowledged by C.S. Lewis and others. 

Did you get any of your ideas for this book working as a museum curator? 
There are scenes in the book in the British Museum at night, but I just walked in the Museum to imagine these. My work as a museum curator was the basis for the ice skating in the book because I wrote an exhibition called Farewell Ice Rink when Richmond Ice Rink closed. Our exhibits included Torvill and Dean’s original Bolero costume, made in Richmond, and Robin Cousins’ Olympic costume worn for competition at Richmond. 


Tell us a little bit about yourself perhaps something not many people know?
One of my favourite pastimes is putting selected sea sand under a microscope and listing the shells I find, some babies of big species, and some that never get bigger, even living as parasites on bigger sea snails. I also find first stages or fragments of other sea creatures such as starfish, sea urchins, fish and crabs. The lists aid conservation mapping by the Conchological Society. But I do it because it’s beautiful, even just the sand grains in water under strong light. It’s entering another world. In my novel, Eleanor’s seaside holiday draws on this interest. 


Have you written any other books that have not been published? 
I’ve written a story of about a dozen short chapters which is narrated by Millie now aged thirteen (eleven/twelve in Modern Magic). I shall put it on a free author’s website when it’s been seen by my usual checking readers. I have many other stories planned, but unfortunately, I have other demanding projects for the next year or two.
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