2009 Kids’ Lit Quiz UK Finalists’ Questions to Authors
The authors attending the UK Final answer questions from the Regional Winners.
Simon Cheshire answering questions from North East England Winners, Cockermouth School. The KLQ team: Hannah, Alistair, Miriam and Solomon with Helen Farrar.
How/where do you get the ideas for your books? Ideas can come from anywhere. Literally anywhere, so I always carry a notebook around with me, to jot down any interesting odds and ends I might see or hear, people I might meet, stuff like that. Trains are great places for spotting interesting characters, I always find. I've got a load of funny train stories! It's a cop-out answer, but my favourite is one that isn't even finished yet. It's set in Victorian London, and it's totally unlike anything I've ever written before. Hopefully, it's also very creepy. Trouble is, it's taken me three years (on and off!) so far, and it may well take me another few years to get it right. I can't even tell you the title, because it'll give away the plot! Good question. Yes, always. Always. I hardly ever read anything of mine once it's been published, because I start to absolutely cringe! In the past couple of weeks, I've had to go back to three books I wrote about ten years ago, because they're going to be re-published as e-books on the iPod/iPhone, and that's been a h-o-r-r-i-b-l-e experience. I think I've changed almost every sentence! They're vitally important. The title's got be so many things: memorable, interesting, capable of conveying something of the story, and so on and so on. Several of my recent books have only had a fixed title a day or two before they had to go off to be printed. Cover designs are similarly difficult - they've got to make you want to pick the book up, and appeal to the right person, and much more. To be honest, I have no input in cover designs. I'm not much of an artist, I'm afraid. An example of how hard it is to get covers right are my Saxby Smart detective stories - the series started with one cover design, and after five books changed to a totally different one (have a look at my website, the covers of the earlier books on Amazon are the old design, and the covers on my 'Book Info' page are the new ones). Yes, I'm working on several things, principally book 8 of Saxby Smart's adventures, and a non-fiction "Saxby Smart's Guide To Real-Life Crime" which will be coming out next autumn. There's also that Victorian thing I mentioned above, and a short spy story for schools called "Deadline."
Gillian Cross answering questions from North East England Winners, Cockermouth School. The KLQ team: Hannah, Alistair, Miriam and Solomon with Helen Farrar.
How/where do you get the ideas for your books?
Of all the books you have written which is your favourite and why?
When you have finished writing a book and it’s been published, do you ever re-read it and want to change what you have written or think of a better ending?
Do you think the title and cover play an important part in selling your books to your target audience and how much influence do you have over the design of the cover?
When The Demon Headmaster was televised were you involved in the process and how happy were you with the finished series?
Mary Hooper answering questions from Southern England Winners, Portsmouth High School. The KLQ team: Erin, Jasmine, Hannah and Louise, with Melanie Middleton.
We were visited at school by P.D. James who explained that she planned every chapter in great detail before she started to write. How detailed is your planning, or do you let the characters dictate the plot? I agree with PD James in that it is essential to plan ahead. If your give your characters free rein they will run all over the place! I plan in my head for a long time, and then I plan on a piece of cardboard with bits of sticky paper. Of course, things change as you write, but you really need to have a firm idea in your head of where you're going before you start. Do you ever have second thoughts about what you have written when it’s too late and the book has been published? In my head I could always improve my published work and think of more things/better things afterwards (just like one always thinks of a good retort when it's too late). But it doesn't do to brood on that - and usually you are too busy working on the next book to worry about the one that's been published. Which of your books are you most proud of? Do you have a favourite character? I am most proud of NEWES FROM THE DEAD. Its main character, Anne Green, was a real person, and what she went through was incredible. I also loved writing the book I have just finished, which won't be published until next June. It's called FALLEN GRACE and it's set in a Victorian undertakers! In Books for Keeps there is a section called ‘I wish I’d written…’. Have you ever read a book and thought ‘I wish I’d written that’? What are you reading at the moment? I think it's best NOT to read reviews of other people's books, because to me they always sound more exciting, cleverer, more enthralling that one's own. What advice would you give to aspiring young writers based on your own experience? Do you think it’s harder for an unknown writer to have a book accepted by a publisher than it used to be? Advice: mine would be to read, read, read as much and as many types of writing as you can. It worked for me.
Marie Louise Jensen answering questions from London Winners, City of London School for Girls. The KLQ team: Laura, Ophelia ,Eleanor and Sharissa with Mr Brian Ward.
Was there ever another career you wanted to pursue? I didn't start writing fiction until I was forty, so I've had a chance to try out some other careers already. I studied for a long time, I taught in a secondary school and taught EFL and then also lectured in a German university for four years. I've also done lots of odd jobs along the way like waitressing and working in a cocktail bar and teaching canoeing. At the moment I do a little bit of university teaching and some private tuition alongside my writing. I don't know that there is anything different I'd like to do. I always wanted to write and am supremely happy doing that.
Was history your favourite subject at school? No, it wasn't, but I did like it very much. My favourites were English, German and French, because I love reading and I love languages. Those were the three I did at A level. I was very sad to give up history though, and if I'd been allowed to study four subjects then like you can now, I definitely would have done history. I considered doing languages and history instead of languages and literature at university but a very scary, weird lecturer who was obsessed by the Italian Renaissance put me off! I did a lot of history anyway though, as you can't study German post-war literature without knowing a great deal about the era. And I did a joint literature/history unit on the Icelandic sagas.
What do you like to read in your spare time? I mainly read books for young people as they are the best. I love books by Sally Gardner, Ann Turnbull, Jennifer Donnelly, Sarah Dessen, Anthony Horowitz (I have sons!) Philip Pullman, JK Rowling, Tim Bowler and many, many more. I've read the Twilight series, of course. If I do read adult books, I like the really old stuff: Austen, Bronte, Gaskell, Elliot, Radcliffe, Dickens etc. And I'm a secret fan of Georgette Heyer too. I reread her historical romances whenever I'm ill.
In historical novels do you feel description is needed more or less than speech? I think it's really important not to overdo the description in historical novels. (Or in any kind of novels) It used to be acceptable to write pages of it, but few readers want to wade through that sort of stuff today. For me, it's the story that's central. The adventure and the interaction between the characters is what we're reading for. I try to include enough detail about the past to capture the atmosphere and make it feel as though we're there, but not to slow the story down. I also try to include the details as naturally as possible, in among the action and speech rather than sticking in paragraphs of undiluted description. Dialogue is an essential part of developing my characters and their various relationships with each other, so that is just as important as description. It's also a lot of fun to write dialogue.
How much research do you have to do for your novels? Lots and lots! I wouldn't write a story without knowing the location thoroughly or without knowing enough about the era to avoid embarrassing mistakes. With my first book, Between Two Seas, I knew both the place and the time really well, but there was still masses I needed to find out. I researched transport, weddings, fishing, the lives of the people in Skagen, shipwrecks, houses etc etc. And I needed to go to Grimsby too. It was a huge amount of work, but as I was reading, visiting museums and archives and speaking to people, all the time it was helping the story form in my head. So it was exciting. With The Lady in the Tower a lot of my research was done in my local library in Bath, and I was a frequent visitor to the castle too. It's in ruins, but on quiet days, I could sit there and recreate a lot in my mind. I didn't know much about the Tudor era really, so I researched fashions, food, customs, Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell, and a great deal about the history of the castle and the Hungerford family.
My new book that's coming out in February 2010, Daughter of Fire and Ice was by far my greatest research task to date. It's a Viking story set in Norway and Iceland, and I spent seven weeks in Iceland (camping!) in summer 2007. I had read all the Icelandic sagas at university, and I reread them, but there was still a huge amount to research to do and Iceland was an incredible place to be. There is a wealth of archeological sites, reconstructions, exhibitions and museums to do with the Vikings and the sagas. I visited them all (I think), and filled a whole A4 notebook with information about the settlement of Iceland, clothes, food, farming, customs, plants and wildlife. I studied the birds, researched healing plants for my main character, and walked on the volcanoes and the glaciers. I even rode the Icelandic horses. It's very important to me to be able to get my readers to feel they are really living in the world I'm creating while they're reading. And in order to do that, it's vital that I know it well myself. That I feel I'm living, breathing and seeing it all as I write. It will never work for everyone, of course, but if it works for the majority, I'm very happy.
It's hard to stop me once I start talking about research. I enjoy it so much. For my latest book, I've just done a trip to York (Jorvik) to continue my Viking adventures.
Gaby Halberstam answering questions from Northern Ireland Winners, Wellington College. The KLQ team: Rose, Jude, Kyle and Rachel, with Ms Tanja Jennings.
What was the first story you ever wrote? The first story I remember writing was the one that I wrote at the age of four or five. It was a girl who was swept out to sea, and was rescued by a fisherman. Much to my parents’ delight, it was published in the newspaper.
Have you ever got stuck in the middle of writing a book? If so, what do you do to get ideas? I have often got stuck, when the characters seem to have become wedged in uncomfortable positions, or I’ve become bored with their situations, or I can see that my writing is not lively enough. I usually leave the book for a day or two to get a little perspective. While I’m pottering about – often while trying to reach the top of my laundry mountain – ideas come along without having been specifically invited, and I can usually see a way to improve my writing.
What was it like living with the apartheid system? While I was growing up in South Africa, apartheid was probably at its worst. I was aware as a child that there was something wrong – for instance, I often asked the black woman who was my nanny why she was sitting on the ground in the park, and I was allowed to sit on the bench. It was really only after we left South Africa that I fully understood how unjust, and often extremely brutal, apartheid was.
What made you want to become a lawyer in the first place, and why did you decide you would prefer to write instead? I had a romantic and completely misguided idea that being a lawyer would enable me to help bring about justice. I chose the wrong branch of law, working for a large commercial law firm in the City, where the driving force was money. I kept hoping things would improve, but they did not. Thoroughly disillusioned and unhappy, it was a moment of unbridled joy when I left. I’d always harboured a dream of being a writer. Perhaps the publication of my story at the age of four or five fed that dream. I started writing stories for my children, and as they grew, the stories grew until I was no longer writing picture books, and began to write full length novels.
Was London a culture shock after living in South Africa? It was a shock in every way – from the clothes people wore and their freedom to express themselves, to the weather, to the architecture, to the green of the grass.
Steve Feasey answering questions from Northern Ireland Winners, Wellington College. The KLQ team: Rose, Jude, Kyle and Rachel, with Ms Tanja Jennings.
Did your childhood influence your writing in any way? I think it’s inevitable that your upbringing and the things you experienced in your childhood have an impact on everything you do. I wasn’t the happiest of children, but I found solace in reading. I realised that books could provide me with an escape from the things around me. I was always a bit of a daydreamer (most of my school reports suggested that I could’ve paid more attention in lessons), and I loved imagining scenes in which I would vanquish horrific foes against terrible odds. I think that my love of books as a child led me to eventually try to write my own stories.
Why combine vampires, demons, sorcerers and a werewolf all in the same book? I’ve always enjoyed fantasy stories set in other worlds inhabited with weird and wonderful creatures, but I also love the idea that there could be creatures like these living among us. Once I began to write about werewolves and vampires, the other creatures just came along naturally. To be honest, I love the demons and other nether-creatures every bit as much as the more traditional horror creatures.
Are any of your stories based on personal experience? If so what were they? Aspects of my books are based upon real experiences: a number of the characters have traits of various people I’ve met, most of the settings and locations are places that I’ve been to, and there are some oblique references to people I’ve known in life.
What is it about the horror genre that inspires you? Horror allows you to place your antagonists in the extremist of situations. Watching them battle through these, seeing how they respond to these dangers in a psychological and emotional way is what makes writing horror so much fun. Of all the feedback and reviews I’ve received about the Changeling books, those that highlight Trey Laporte’s emotional responses to everything that has gone on around him make me the happiest. I like to explore the inner turmoil and terror that my teenage hero experiences.
Does the mood you are in while writing affect the development of your characters in any way? Yes and no. I like to write during the day (I find I’m at my best between 10am and 2pm). I write as much as I can in a session, stop for the day, then come back and look at what I’ve done the following morning. I often find myself rejigging the previous day’s work because it doesn’t ‘feel’ right, and I suspect that my mood has something to do with that.
Linda Newberry answering questions from Midlands Winners, Oundle School. The KLQ team: Sofya Serena, Richard with Ms Giurlando and Miss Burden.
What did it feel like winning or being shortlisted for those awards and which ones are you most proud of? (Sofya) Sofya, it's a very strange feeling. You get the news out of the blue, and it doesn't seem quite real. It can also feel quite flukey - you know that different judges would have chosen different books. Sometimes you're lucky and sometimes you're not. Which am I most proud of? I think it's the fact that eight of my books have been nominated for the Carnegie Medal and two of them shortlisted.
What age group do you enjoy writing for the most? (Sofya) Well, I'm really not sure, Sofya. What I really enjoy is having the freedom to write for all ages - from picture books to adult fiction, and anything in between.
How long does it take you to write a book? (Serena) Serena, it depends what kind of book it is, and how long. A book of the length of THE SANDFATHER, say, which is 50,000 words, would take me two months or so for the first draft. I like to write every day - that's an important rule. When the first draft is finished, I will go through it once, making changes, before sending it to my editor. Then, after talking to her or him, I go through it at least twice more, making small changes right up to the last minute.
How important is the setting - a sense of place - in your books? (Ms Giurlando) (Hello, Ms Giurlando - nice to hear from you!) Well, it's very important to me, and several of my books have begun with their setting. NEVERMORE, THE SANDFATHER, THE SHELL HOUSE, SET IN STONE, AT THE FIREFLY GATE - all of these have begun with a particular place, atmosphere, time of year+. A strong sense of place is something I enjoy as a reader, and in my writing I want the readers to imagine themselves in the places I write about.
What methods do you use when thinking of storylines for books? (Richard) Richard, I don't know that I have any method at all! I like to think of gathering ingredients for a story, before I begin. When I've got good enough ingredients, I set off, with only some idea of how the story will develop. Then I think of it as living in the story, being inside the main character's head. Once I start a book and have written three or four chapters, I find that things suggest themselves to me while I'm cooking, swimming, walking, etc., all the time, in fact, and I know that I will get my best ideas when I'm in the middle of a book. That's why I don't plan everything before I start.
Set in Stone is both a historical work and one that has two narrators. How difficult was it to sustain this when you were writing the novel? (Miss Burden).
Miss Burden, I enjoyed writing in the two voices. The difficulty was to make Samuel and Charlotte distinctive as characters, while at the same time keeping them plausibly late Victorian. They each have different punctuation habits, favourite words, and sentence structure - for instance, Charlotte rarely begins a sentence with "I", whereas Samuel frequently does, and her punctuation is more formal than his. Most readers wouldn't notice this, but it helped me to keep the two voices distinct. Whenever I reached the end of a chapter as Samuel, I would have to stop writing and take a break before coming back as Charlotte. And it's particularly important when writing in the first-person to be able to "hear" the character's voice.
Andrew Norriss answering questions from Midlands Winners, Oundle School. The KLQ team: Sofya Serena, Richard with Ms Giurlando and Miss Burden.
First of all, many congratulations on getting through to the English national final of KLQ, and I want you to know I shall be rooting for you on Friday. Andrew Norriss
On your website you say that your favourite book of the ones you’ve written varies. What is your favourite book that was written by you at the moment? Well, I guess at the moment that it's The Touchstone. It's based (in case you don't know) on the idea of having contact with a sort of galactic librarian who can answer any question you put to him, because he knows everything that ever happened. The interesting part for me was the idea that there are some questions that will inevitably lead to bad consequences and some the reverse.
Did you find it annoying when the television producers changed parts of the story when they made your work into a TV series, for example in “Aquila”? (Serena) No, I didn't, Serena, but that was mainly because I was writing the tv series myself. I discovered, as I did so, that the construction that worked for the book didn't work for tv episodes - and vice versa. So stuff had to change!
Many of your books involve out-of-this world elements. Would you say that you write in a sci-fi mode or a fantasy mode? A bit of both, really, but probably closer to sci-fi. I tend to think fantasy means hobbits and and vampires and elves and so on, and I don't do any of that. I like introducing one fantastical element into my stories but then try and make it as convincing and 'real world' as possible.
What do you think of books that take a while to get going, but are ultimately rewarding? I like them. I read a fair bit of 19th century stuff and they can take forever to get going but, once you've settled into the pace, there is nothing to beat a novel by Trollope or Dickens. On the other hand, I'd never dare try anything like that myself. Particularly not writing for children in the 21st century.
What was your favourite book when you were about twelve or thirteen? I'm so glad you asked. I had a lot of favourites but even then The Last Battle (seventh of the Narnia Chronicles) was the one I kept coming back to. Utterly brilliant!
Craig Simpson answering questions from Central England Winners, Wellingborough Preparatory School. The KLQ team: Christian, Daniel, Curan and Eleanor, with Kate Cooper.
Were any of your characters inspired by real people? Yes, many of my characters have been influenced by real people. I spend a good deal of my time researching wartime Resistance heroes, especially those who were recruited into an organisation called the Special Operations Executive (SOE). Young men and women were trained as agents in total secrecy and subsequently sent behind enemy lines. For example, Freya in my Special Operations series (Dogfight, Death Ray) evolved from my research on several young female agents, such as Odette Sansom, Violet Szabo and Noor Inayat Kahn. All three showed tremendous courage and bravery and all were awarded the highest civilian honour, the George Cross and French equivalent, the Croix de Guerre.Like Freya in my books, Violet proved to be a crack shot, the best the SOE ever saw. Noor was a children's writer and quite possibly the least likely secret agent you could imagine - and yet she trained as a wireless operator and worked with the Resistance in Paris, relying on her wits to stay one step ahead of the infamous Gestapo. Hers was one of the most dangerous jobs of all - the average life expectancy of wireless operators at the time was just 8 weeks. Eventually she was betrayed and captured. Under interrogation and torture, she revealed nothing (even her captors later remarked on her outstanding bravery!)
A number of Norwegians also influenced the key characters in my books too, especially men like Klaus Helberg and Lief Larsen. Klaus was one of the famous, so-called Heroes of Telemark, and his incredible escape from the enemy across the unforgiving Norwegian wilderness inspired elements of both the plot and my character Marek in Resistance.
[PS: In case you're interested, one of Noor's books is still in print. It's called Twenty Jakarta Tales and is a collection of folktales and fables, published by Pilgrim Books]
Were you good at English when you were at school? I was OK at English at school (nothing amazing). I enjoyed studying it but at the time never considered being a writer. I wanted to be a vet and so my focus was on the sciences. I have to confess, however, that my spelling was and remains rubbish (Thank God for spellcheck and my editors). One of my English teachers from when I was very young remains a good family friend and when she first heard that I'd become a writer she said she wasn't surprised - apparently when she used to give us writing assignments while most students barely managed a page or two, mine always filled an entire exercise book (I'd completely forgotten about it) - poor woman spent hours marking them!
What gave you the idea for the plot of Resistance? A story about a family friend who fought with the French Resistance first triggered my interest - I wondered who such people were, the dangers they faced, and how they coped risking everything in the fight for freedom from tyranny. This then led to the idea of how life must've been turned upside down when their country was suddenly invaded. And that was the starting point for Resistance - the idea of an ordinary boy (Marek) being confronted by such momentous events, and then making it personal with the arrest of his father. The premise for the book is simply - war changes everything! The adventure itself was inspired/constructed from true stories e.g. the Shetland Bus, the amazing escape of Klaus Helberg (see answer above), and the dangers posed by the deadly U-boats that hid in the Norwegian fjords.
What were your favourite books when you were a child? Possibly my favourite book was The Machine Gunners by the late Robert Westall - it's a terrific read and won him the Carnegie Medal. It was published in 1975 when I was 13 and remains popular - you've probably got a copy in your school library. As a teenager I loved thrillers and action stories by writers like Alistair Maclean (some critics have likened me to a young Maclean which is a terrific compliment) and Frederick Forsyth. You may not have heard of their books, but chances are you may have seen some of the films based on them, like Maclean's Guns of Navarone or more likely Where Eagles Dare starring Clint Eastwood.
Have you or would you be interested in writing for adults? What's the difference? Yes, I would be interested in writing for adults and I have some outline ideas for a adult thriller. My biggest problem is finding the time to sit down and write it. This is because I've got my Special Ops series to develop (book three is written and will be out 2010, and I'm now on the fourth) and I have some terrific ideas for other children's stories that although adventures are not set in wartime. There are many differences in writing for adults although most are subtle. For me, the hardest part will probably be to get my narrative voice right.
David Calcutt answering questions from East Scotland Winners, Mary Erskine School. The KLQ team: Varshini , Iona ,Skye and Flora, with Diana Esland.
I’m sorry I won’t be able to be there on Friday. I do hope you have a good day – I’m sure you will – and that you do well – and again, I’m sure you will. Now that I’ve answered your questions, and know your names and school, I’ll be thinking of you. Perhaps you might be able to find the time to let me know how you get on.
Very best wishes
David
Crow Boy - why did you choose to write the narratives in the present tense? When I began “Crowboy” I had a more traditional way of telling the story in mind. I wasn’t going to use all first person narration, for example. I was just going to have Orf tell his sections in 1st person and the rest would be told in third person. So Orf’s recollection would have framed the narrative. It was to be in past tense too. But that would have meant making the story complete, because it was being looked back on by Orf, and I didn’t want it to be complete, but open ended. So I had him speak in the present tense and that sounded more effective to me. It gave his speech and the story he was a telling a sense of immediacy. So then I decided to tell the whole story like that, to give it that sense of something happening here and now, told in close up, so to speak, getting reactions from characters to what was happening as they happened, without much time for reflection. It also gave me the opportunity for moving in and out of characters heads, grabbing at their thoughts, no matter how confused and confusing those thoughts might be. It was all an attempt to get that sense of urgency and immediacy, to make it feel as real as possible.
How has writing plays/radio plays helped with writing novels? Well this in a way is linked to what I’ve said above. Using 1st person speech as I did in “Crowboy” is a very dramatic way of writing, it’s something I’ve used in theatre and radio plays, characters speaking directly to the audience. I used a lot of dramatic writing technique in “Crowboy”. Perhaps less so in “Shadow Bringer”, though I still try and draw on what I’ve learned about how to reveal character through speech and action, what they do and say, rather than telling the reader – or audience – about how they feel. It has the effect, I hope, of encouraging a reader to engage more with the writing, be an active rather than a passive reader. An audience in a theatre can’t passive, every member of the audience has to be actively engaged with the play or it doesn’t work. I try to capture some of that in novel writing. I also tend to think in terms of constructing a story around a series of dramatic scenes or events, and try to write those events in a dramatic and immediate a way as possible. It’s helped with writing dialogue too.
How important has the Midlands been as a background to your writing? Very important. In one way or another my work is rooted in the Midlands. I was born here and grew up here and live here still so it’s embedded in me. Many of the descriptions of the canal and the environment around the canal were taken from a place not too far from where I live – though exaggerated of course. And the Lime Pits in “Shadow Bringer” is again a real place not far away. I was able with both books to go back again and again to those places to get the descriptions right, really soak in the reality of the places. What intrigues me about the midlands is that, although it’s known for its being a centre of industry (all that’s almost gone now of course) there were always little oases of the natural world here and there, pushing through, fighting back. And the places where that happened, where the natural world and the industrial world met, and fought, created a kind of no-man’s-land, a borderland, so to speak, where it used to seem to me as a child that anything could happen. And it’s writing about those borderlands, where anything can happen, that interests me.
Which is your favourite folk tale? I have many, many favourite folk-tales. “Hansel and Gretel” would be one. “Jack the Giant Killer” another. A story that’s more myth but has strong elements of folk-tale, is an Inuit (Eskimo) one about a young woman called Sedna who goes through a horrible transformation and becomes a vengeful sea-goddess. It’s very strange and very haunting, and I think I really may have to work it into a new story at some point. There’s also a story about a rich man who goes in search of a City of Wonders and Miracles that formed the basis for the novel I’m working on now, “The Map of Marvels” (published August 2010!)
(Teacher - thank you for Humpty Dumpty, I read that with a group of challenging boys when I worked in the Midlands). To what extent are global myths/legends important to you as food for thought? Myths are of the utmost importance to me. They’ve been behind everything I’ve written since I can remember writing. I’ve been collecting them, so to speak, for years. Interested in the many variations there are on a few basic themes, how inventive and imaginative human beings are when it comes to improvising on a basic theme, taking a simple story thread and elaborating it. And it’s those basic story-threads that interest me too, the simple but very powerful few tales that seem to be stitched into our nervous system and need to be told again and again, because there’s something of great value on them. I used to do a lot of storytelling (not so much now) which involved re-telling old myths and folk-tales, and I liked the feel of being in that tradition. And I’m very aware that as a writer that’s what I’m still doing, re-working those old stories, trying to find new ways of telling them. And an interesting thing about a myth or folk-tale is that, the more you contemplate it, or work at it, the more it gives you. It never runs out of meaning. There’s always more to be discovered about it.
Elizabeth Kaye answering questions from East England Winners, Thetford Grammar School. The KLQ team Anna, Jarvis, Bea and Christian, with Mrs A J Settle.
Who were your favourite authors as a child? C.S. Lewis, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Mary Renault, Mary Elwyn Patchett, Elyne Mitchell. How do you get ideas for your books? They just seem to happen, often as I'm falling asleep, which is why I always keep a notebook by the side of the bed. This is when your mind is at its most inventive, as your subconscious rises to the fore and you make strange connections between things. But, like dreams, you rarely remember them. So the notebook is there to keep a record of these ideas, not my dreams. Dreams only mean something to the dreamer. I always write down my ideas as though I'm addressing a five-year-old, because ideas occur in context, a product of the rambling thoughts that preceded them. Taken out of context, they make make no sense whatsoever! Was it a visit to Costa Rica that gave you the idea for The Divide? No - it was the other way round. When I decided that I wanted to write a story about an alternative world, I tried to think of the most magical place I had ever visited. This was Monteverde, up in the cloud forest in Costa Rica in Central America. There really is a study centre there, and a hummingbird garden, and it’s beautiful. And the Continental Divide really is marked out, so that you can stand with a foot on either side. When I remembered that, it got me thinking that it would be a good place to cross from one world to another – but there was a problem. If everyone who straddled the Divide ended up in the other world, thousands of people would have disappeared. There had to be another factor – so I chose staying still for the length of a heartbeat, which gave me the idea for Felix’s illness. Once I got Felix into the other world, he then had two ready-made quests – how to get back to his own world, and the search for a magical cure to his illness. I could also populate this world with all my favourite creatures – griffins and unicorns and dragons, and I could invent some of my own as well. When your books are translated do you work closely with the people translating your words? No. I think I've only ever been asked once about the precise meaning of a word. And I've never been consulted about the illustrations either - although I'm finally getting the chance to illustrate one of my own books, The Tree Devil, which is due out next April. Having said that, the Japanese illustrations for the Divide series were wonderful.
Do you find it easier to write for children or for adults? I don't set out to write for one or the other - it's the idea that determines both the form (poem, short story, play, novel) and the target audience. Therefore, both age groups are equally as easy or as difficult. The subject matter may be more suitable for adults, as in my latest book Missing Link, which is for adults and deals with reality TV.
Catherine Johnson answering questions from East England Winners, Thetford Grammar School. The KLQ team Anna, Jarvis, Bea and Christian, with Mrs A J Settle.
Who were your favourite authors as a child?
Did you always want to write? When I was at Primary School I would have liked to be a poet, one of my cousins is a published poet (he writes n Welsh) and I thought it might be possible. However I was rubbish at essays and at secondary school so tried to run away from writing by going to art school!
How do you get ideas for your books? From my sock drawer! No! Lots of places, things I have seen (a little local bus, one day i saw a schoolgirl arguing with the driver who was her mother) other books, little bits of lots of things mixed up in my head I suppose. Fiona Dunbar has made a lovely film about how writers get ideas, I think it's on YouTube.
Where did you first learn about Matthew Henson to be inspired to write about him? I have been obsessed by Arctic and Antarctic exploration since I was little. I also went through a stage - when i was pregnant - of reading EVERYTHING about the South Pole and snow exploration 100 years ago. I know how they went to the toilet (ask me it is fascinating) and what they ate, I am not interested in Ranulf Fiennes or anyone who goes now. It's the idea of people going there all those years ago with no modern equipment. So i knew about Mathew Henson already and what a huge hero he is in the USA.
Is it easier to write for film or to write novels? Sometimes it's hard to do either! If I had the luxury I would just write books, because most of the film and TV projects I do are group projects. When you are working on your own that can seem like a really good idea to have other people to talk to and share ideas, but books are, I think, more satisfying. Although I did enjoy having my name on those huge film posters on the tube! Eleanor Updale answering questions from Oxfordshire & Berkshire Winners, Wheatley Park School. The KLQ team Matt, Kit, Huw and Theo with Mrs Gillian Hood.
www.eleanorupdale.co.uk
Matt: How did it feel to win the Blue Peter award for the 'Book I couldn't put down?'
I set Montmorency at the end of the 19th century because I wanted the newly-built sewers to play a big part in the book. I got interested in the Victorian sewers when I was at school. One of my friends was a descendant of Sir Joseph Bazalgette, who designed them and he told me all about what his great-great grandfather had done. Since then, I have been through the sewers myself -- it's wonderful down there (in a smelly sort of way). One advantage of writing books set long ago is that communications technology was less advanced than it is now. It's great to send characters on wild goose chases, or to give them faulty information that sets them off on the wrong track. These days, they could check everything on the internet, or be called back with a quick phone call. In 'Montmorency on the Rocks', for example, Dr Farcett rushes away to Scotland when he thinks he has worked out who is killing the babies on Tarimond. There is no way of recalling him, even though new information comes to light as soon as he has left. I think a lot of readers enjoy knowing more than the characters at a time like that. It can make the story more exciting. Huw: What programmes did you work on when you worked for the BBC? I joined the BBC as a News Trainee when I left university. That meant I was taught to work in Radio and TV, and for the first part of my training I worked in newsrooms in London, and on Radio Humberside and BBC Norwich. Then I got a job as a producer on the Radio 4 programme 'The World and One', and after that I worked on 'Newsnight', 'The Week in Westminster', and 'Breakfast Time' (the first early-morning TV show. For that one, I had to work all night, and I often write through the night today. Other programmes I was involved with included 'The Week in the Lords' and election specials. In 1986, I produced the commentary for the TV coverage of the wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. That marriage took place a few months before my own, and I banned everyone from calling it 'The Wedding of the Year' because I reckoned mine was going to be that. As it turned out, I am still married, and they are not, so perhaps I was right! Theo: Was any of Montmorency based on fact? Yes -- quite a lot, though it doesn't matter if you don't know which bits are true, because the story is the most important thing. I did lots of research before I wrote the first book, but was very lucky and lost my notes in a house move, so I was rescued from the temptation to use the book to show off my hard work. As the series goes on, more and more things are true. In 'Montmorency and the Assassins' for instance, people like Edison, Puccini and Professor Lombroso really existed, and the opening night of the opera Tosca in Rome really was on the same day as the opening of the Hippodrome theatre in London. In 'Montmorency's Revenge' Fregoli is one of the 'real' characters (he was an international superstar at the beginning of the 20th century) and President McKinley really was assassinated at the time and place shown in the book. The details of Queen Victoria's funeral are based on accounts from the time. But Montmorency and his closest friends are entirely made up by me. I like to think that even the fictional events in the books could have happened in the world I am depicting. You have probably heard the expression 'truth is stranger than fiction'. The most unlikely thing in any of my plots (the death of all the children on Tarimond) is based on something that really happened on the remote island of St Kilda.
The mainland locations in the series are all places I have visited. For example, the Fox-Selwyn's big house in Scotland is set quite near the area my husband's family come from. I know Edinburgh and Aberdeen well. The island of Tarimond is my own creation, but is based on a mixture of several islands I have visited off the west coast of Scotland. La Specola in Florence (the museum with the gory waxworks) is a place few tourists visit, but someone told me about it, and as soon as I saw it I knew I had to put it in a book. I live in London, so a lot of the places mentioned in the books are very familiar to me. Sometimes I make a special visit to a place because I think its geography or history will fit in well with my plot. For example, when I was researching 'Montmorency and the Assassins' I found out that Paterson in the U.S.A. had been home to many Italian anarchists who had moved to America, so I went to have a look at the town. I went to Buffalo in New York State to see where President McKinley was killed, and to look at Niagara Falls, which also Research for my next book (a non-Montmorency story called Johnny Swanson, which comes out next year) took me to Wales to explore a grand castle that later became a children's hospital.
Tim Bowler answering questions from Oxfordshire & Berkshire Winners, Wheatley Park School. The KLQ team Matt, Kit, Huw and Theo with Mrs Gillian Hood.
Josh Lacey answering questions from Essex Winners, Bancroft's School. The KLQ team: Emmaline, Ellie, Lawrence and Elizabeth, with Kevin Gallagher Dear Kevin, Emmaline, Ellie, Lawrence and Elizabeth, I'm very sorry to miss the final but I hope it's a huge success. Thanks very much for your questions. Here are my replies. Good luck in the quiz! Josh What did you want to be when you were growing up (other than writing for a living)? An astronaut. What other teenage author would you recommend to pupils? Here are a few books that I've really enjoyed recently: Nation by Terry Pratchett. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E Lockhart. Scat by Carl Hiaasen. I'd highly recommend all of them. What inspired you to be a writer? My love of books. How long, roughly, does it take you to write your books? Between six months and a year. It depends whether I'm writing an entirely new book or a book in a series, when I already know the characters. What do you think of Enid Blyton books? I'm afraid that my feelings about Enid Blyton have been irrevocably changed by the BBC film about her that I saw last week; I have the feeling that I'll never be able to think about her or her books without remembering it. Who is your favourite fictional character (not invented by yourself)? Captain Haddock. Is there a lot of rivalry between contemporary children's authors? No. In my experience, authors are very supportive of one another's work. Of course, some authors are pompous, vain and selfish, but most are interesting, amusing, generous and very happy to help anyone else engaged in the same tricky business. What advice would you give to an aspiring author? My only advice would be this: before you start writing, you should be a great reader. Read as much as you can. Read anything and everything. What is your favourite work of classic fiction? For adults: Anna Karenina. For children: Treasure Island.
Amanda Lees answering questions from Essex Winners, Bancroft's School. The KLQ team: Emmaline, Ellie, Lawrence and Elizabeth, with Kevin Gallagher
What inspired you to be a writer? I love stories. Every human loves stories - it's one of our most basic needs. I, however, not only love stories but I also like to make them up. It comes from having an excess of imagination (if there is such a thing) and enough self-belief to use it. I always encourage young writers to believe in their ideas and to get them down on paper. Your stories are every bit as valid as mine but actually believing someone would want to read them can be the hardest part. What is wonderful - and keeps me inspired - is the positive feedback I get from readers.
How long, roughly, does it take you to write your books? To actually write between 6 and 9 months although I had to write the KUMARI series quicker as my editor was fire-breathing down my neck. Before I even begin to write, though, I spend a long time thinking. I churn the idea around in my mind until it really works and all the elements fall into place. Once I sit down at my computer it then comes out very fast. I would like to add that I am a demon for rewrites. I once reworked a chapter 17 times and will never submit anything that is not at least a fourth draft.
What do you think of Enid Blyton books? Hands up - I liked them as a child. As an adult, I can see there are certain, shall we say, idiosyncracies. Enid Blyton hammered out her books and that's obvious in the formulaic plots and clunky writing. But who notices that when you're seven or eight? I didn't and I bet you didn't either.
Who is your favourite fictional character (not invented by yourself)? Huckleberry Finn.
Is there a lot of rivalry between contemporary children's authors? Noooooooo. We all love each other. To death.
What advice would you give to an aspiring author? Read, read, read. Write, write and....you guessed it, write. Be passionate about what you do. Believe in yourself. And never take 'no' for an answer.
What is your favourite work of classic fiction?
Does 'Rebecca' by Daphne du Maurier count as a classic? If not, I'm a sucker for 'Wuthering Heights'. Guess I like my books windswept and more than a shade Gothic.
Fiona Dunbar answering questions from Yorkshire Winners, Roundhay Technology and Language College. The KLQ team Tom, Sam, Roddy and Martin with Mrs Janet Ousby.
Tom: What were your influences for becoming an author? It all happened sideways, by accident. I used to be an illustrator, and I wrote and illustrated some picture books. Then I had my kids and was a full-time mum for a while. Then two things happened: my publisher kept turning down my picture book ideas, saying they were “too sophisticated”; and I became very inspired by reading my kids bedtime stories. Roald Dahl featured quite heavily, as well as classics like The Secret Garden, and other more contemporary writers like Sharon Creech. Eventually I decided to just go with “too sophisticated”, and try my hand at longer fiction. I haven’t looked back since! What made you decide to write in the genre you do? Roddy: Do you ever include real people in your books? Do you write your books mostly on a computer? Martin: What would you be doing now if you weren't an author? Mrs Janet Ousby: Do you have a special "writing place and time" or can you write anywhere? Time: I start after the school run, and after I’ve done a few of those boring houseworky things like loading the dishwasher; by then it’s usually 9.30 – 10.00. I then work until about 5 or 6, with the odd break for chatting on Facebook – and occasionally a lunch! I work in my study at the top of the house; on a hot day I might take the laptop out into the garden. I’ve tried working in cafes but I find it too distracting; I like my own space.
Alan Gibbons answering questions from Yorkshire Winners, Roundhay Technology and Language College. The KLQ team Tom, Sam, Roddy and Martin with Mrs Janet Ousby.
Tom: How old were you when you published your first book? Why did you become an author? I was 37 when I published my first book. I became an author because I loved reading and became desperately jealous of published authors.
Sam: Did you have any other jobs before becoming an author? Did you follow your family's interests? Oh yes, I worked in a tea factory, a toy factory. I was a boating lake attendant. I did welfare rights advice. I worked in a furniture factory. I was a teacher. No, all my family were manual workers. I am hopeless with my hands, a complete nincompoop, total dreamer.
Roddy: Where do you get your inspiration? If you weren't a writer, what would you most like to be? My inspiration was quite simply reading good books and listening to good poetry and pop music. If I wasn't a writer I would be a teacher. I loved my years in the classroom.
Mrs Janet Ousby: Do you have a special "writing place and time" or can you write anywhere? I write anywhere, anytime. I don't have a study so most of my stories are written on the back kitchen table or in hotel rooms when I am touring the country gigs.
Beverley Naidoo answering questions from London Winners, City of London School for Girls. The KLQ team: Laura, Ophelia, Eleanor, Sharissa, with Mr Brian Ward.
I’ve recently completed two books for younger children – poems for an alphabet photographic book S is for South Africa (photos by Prodeepta Das) and Aesop’s African Fables (illustrated by Piet Grobler), a retelling in which I’ve drawn out African aspects of some of his tales. I’m pretty sure that Aesop, whom I grew up believing was a Greek slave, was actually someone captured from North Africa. However, Piet and I are setting the tales in South Africa! I’m currently engaged in a huge work that will be for adults. It’s the biography of my cousin’s son Neil Aggett, who was a doctor working voluntarily as a trade union organiser in South Africa under apartheid, until he was arrested by the Security Police. He died in their hands inside their notorious headquarters in Johannesburg in February 1982. When the magistrate at his inquest declared that no one was to blame, despite knowing about the culture of torture, he allowed a terrible crime to go unpunished. Before Neil, 51 detainees had already died in detention. Like Steve Biko, they were all black and the security police were never found guilty. Neil was the first and only white detainee to lose his life in detention. I was in exile and never knew him, so writing this book is my way of discovering not only him but his friends and comrades who risked so much to challenge inequality, injustice and racism. When I wrote my last novel Burn My Heart, set in 1950s Kenya at the time of Mau Mau resistance to the white settlers, I was partly exploring the world into which this younger cousin had been born. Neil’s family moved from Kenya to South Africa when he was ten. Although the settler family in Burn My Heart is not based on my cousin’s family, if you read the novel, you might discover some of the themes that have been absorbing me.
Did you write much as a child? I wrote ‘Compositions’ in school that were given marks out of ten and that I never enjoyed. But I also wrote for the ‘T.T. News’ , a newspaper the size of the palm of my hand! My best friend and I had a secret society called the ‘T.Ts’ (to this day, I’ve kept my ‘oath’ not to reveal the meaning) and we made this tiny, tiny newspaper that we forced our parents to buy!
How did you feel when 'Journey to Jo’burg' was originally banned in South Africa? How has the country changed now? I knew it would be banned because I was sharing the royalties with a banned organisation that secretly sent money to the families of political prisoners but I was surprised just how quickly the authorities go on to it, in fact seizing the first two copies that I sent into the country for my nephews and nieces. Most young black South Africans knew what terrible things were going on under apartheid – and they were very much part of the resistance, taking great risks with their lives, like in my novel Chain of Fire. But most young white South Africans were kept as unaware, as ignorant and as ‘ignoring’ as possible. Reading a book like Journey to Jo’burg might have encouraged some readers to open their eyes and they might have begun to ask important questions for themselves. When I was a student, reading some banned books by black South African writers had helped me take off my own blinkers. So the banning didn’t just affect me as the writer. It denied readers the opportunity to experience Naledi and Tiro’s journey in the story, to imagine what it would be like to be in their shoes and to ask their own questions. Banning was – and is – a means of controlling minds. Incidentally, it took a very long time to find a publisher for Journey to Jo’burg in the UK. Many publishers didn’t think it was suitable for young readers. When your parents and grandparents were at school, there was nothing that allowed young people to imagine what was really happening under apartheid. In 2010, the book will celebrate its 25th anniversary in print but we shouldn’t forget that a kind of censorship existed right here too in the UK.
Your second question is enormous. The short answer is that South Africa has changed and not changed. For the long answer, I’m afraid that we’d need much longer time than I have now…
Were there any particular experiences that inspired or influenced you to write? I’ve always loved stories and the freedom to travel in my imagination. Perhaps the realisation of just how blinkered I had been as a child, was a powerful motivator. But have a look at the FAQ page on my website www.beverleynaidoo.com and you’ll find there a particular experience that relates to Journey to Jo’burg, my first book.
When you formulate a book, do you find writing pressurised or do you still take pleasure in it? I only write what I choose to write so any pressure is self-inflicted! But writing is also a creative way of exploring themes and questions for myself. That carries its own pleasure that more than compensates for the pressure.
Mary Hoffman answering questions from South West England Winners, Truro School. The KLQ team: Alex, Antonia, Marina and Matthew, with Sue Spence.
Alex: Who is your favourite character (in all the books you've written), and why? I'm going to take Alex and Antonia's questions together because my favourite character IS from Stravaganza! It's the Duchessa, the first one we meet, Silvia. And that's because she is an idealised picture of me - tall, beautiful, rich and ruthless, with a new dress every day. She has absolute power over her city and is adored by her citizens. She also has a handsome and adoring husband. (I do have the last but none of the others!) I don't know how old you are exactly but I read Tolkien's Lord of the Rings when I was nine and ten and those books remained my favourites till I was about eighteen, so I think it's safe to answer "J.R.R.Tolkien." I still love them and the Peter Jackson films. Even though I can now see the flaws in them. It's vital for historical novels and for fantasy-history like Stravaganza. I do masses of research. I belong to something called The London Library, which send me books I ask for by post. And I use the Bodleian Library in Oxford too. I always put a "historical note" in my historical novels and I usually put a note at the end of the Stravaganza novels to say how the cities in Talia differ from their counterparts in 16th century Italy. Yes. I think we need to embrace the new technology (I love gadgets!) but I think e-books and downloads will take their place beside conventional paper ones. And there will always be a place for writers because the world will continue to need storytellers, however the stories are delivered to readers.
Julia Jarman answering questions from South West England Winners, Truro School. The KLQ team: Alex, Antonia, Marina and Matthew, with Sue Spence.
Alex: What was your inspiration for "Peace Weavers"? Dear Alex,
Dear Antonia, Marina: Who was your favourite author when you were our age? Dear Marina, Dear Matthew, From Sue, their English teacher: How important a role do you think a school library plays (and will play in the future) in children's education? Dear Sue,
Susie Day answering questions from East Scotland Winners, Mary Erskine School. The KLQ team: Varshini , Iona , Skye and Flora, with Diana Esland.
Who do you think your typical fan is? A smart funny girl who thinks she’s the opposite. It’s anyone who’s found something in my books that makes them go ‘wow, yeah, that’s ME on the page there’ – whether that comes from them being online or not. I hear from a lot of 11 and 12-year-olds, which surprised me at first (everyone underestimates pre-teen girls) - and a lot of future writers of Very Thrilling Novels, which is awesome.
Do you think that the Internet is dangerous? I could probably kill someone with a book, if I went to the gym a lot and they were a bit puny. That wouldn’t make the book bad: it’s people who are dangerous. The internet itself is a profound leap forwards, on a level with the printing press and the microchip. I’m old enough to remember when the closest you got to Google was a set of encyclopediae in a library, last updated in 1912 - and I feel lucky for that (as well as a bit wrinkly), because it gives me great respect for the instant access to knowledge and communication the net gives us. But of course we need to be safe and smart about how we use it – so just as I wouldn’t give a stranger on the street my name and address and a picture of me in my undies, I wouldn’t do that online.
You are a fan of magic and crime - to what extent do you think that these complement each other? I think stories based around magic work best when there’s a puzzle to solve, and of course puzzles are at the heart of crime fiction. Harry Potter is a brilliant fusion of the two: they’re thrillers written in a fantasy world, and that’s why we find them so gripping.
Have you actually met an Ed (the lovemuppet)? I really haven’t – because Heidi’s Ed is too perfect to be anything but imaginary. (Real teenage boys have stinky feet and if they do write you lovemuppety poetry, it’s usually so awful you rather wish they hadn’t: sorry, girls!) That said, once I started telling friends about Girl Meets Cake, I was amazed at how many confessed to having had an imaginary boyfriend.
(Teacher) You obviously like playing with language - which are the words that you think might make it to the OED? I’ll be amazed if ‘lolarious’ or ‘lolworthy’ doesn’t make it into a dictionary soon: I see them online often enough. I’m actually a real stickler about punctuation and I don’t even use abbreviations in my texts – but I studied English at university, so the ways textspeak and lolspeak are influencing the way we all communicate fascinates me.
Mark Robson answering questions from Central England Winners, Wellingborough Preparatory School. The KLQ team: Christian, Daniel, Curan and Eleanor, with Kate Cooper.
What gave you the idea for Imperial Assassin? Imperial Assassin was an unusual book for me to write, as it was the first one that I attempted at the request of someone else, rather than having planned it from the start. Imperial Spy was supposed to be a stand-alone novel, but my publisher wanted me to turn it into a series. In the original version of Imperial Spy I killed off the villain at the end and wrapped up all the loose ends neatly, but when I was asked to turn the book into a series several things had to change - especially with the ending.
In attempting to write the sequel, my first thought was to work out natural consequences of the first book. Shalidar (the assassin) had nearly caused a war between the two neighbouring countries through his actions. The new Emperor of Shandar was never likely to be impressed by this, so I decided to make the follow on story one of vengeance that becomes far more wide reaching than just a personal vendetta.
Were you good at English when you were at school? I enjoyed English, but I wasn't that good at it. I was creative, but not so good at the technical side. I got a 'B' in my 'O' Level, but I was never an 'A' student at English.
Who was your inspiration for Femke? Femke was inspired partly by a character called Paksenarrion, who was created by an author called Elizabeth Moon. In Elizabeth's story, Pakse ran away from home to join a mercenary company to avoid having to marry the neighbouring pig farmer's son. I guess there might be more than a little Lara Croft in the mix as well, but I didn't deliberately do that.
What were your favourite books when you were a child? That would depend on what age I was when you asked. I was a big Enid Blyton fan for my early years - The Enchanted Wood, The Wishing Chair and later on I moved on to The Island of Adventure and the Famous Five. I was about 12 when I first read The Lord of the Rings, which then remained a firm favourite throughout my teenage years.
Do you enjoy meeting your readers? Do they surprise you? Readers are a constant source of amazement. I love meeting them ... as many as I can, as often as I can. They often see things in my writing that I didn't deliberately put there. I find it fascinating to hear what they liked and didn't like about my stories. (Fortunately for me, most seem to like more than they dislike!)
Being a writer without meeting readers seems like a crazy idea to me. The positive feedback is what I live for. I don't think I would be able to continue writing if I thought I would be the only person to read my work.
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Author interviews |