Author & Illustrator. Hers is our little chat with Lucy. When did you start doing kids books? About four years ago…when I finished my MA in Children’s Book Illustration course at Cambridge School of Art. My now agent Alice Williams spotted my work at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, while I was a student, and I then signed my first book deal a year after graduating. The journey to publication felt like forever at the time, as I was juggling various jobs, but it was worth the (mostly enjoyable) slog! What did you study at school? I studied Art & Design, Business Studies and Japanese for A-Level, which have all come in handy! I went to Japan twice as a teenager and ended up illustrating a series of Japanese fairy tales aimed at Western children for my undergraduate degree, which got me thinking about writing and illustrating my own stories. What do you love most about kid’s books? They can be great conversation starters with little ones! Children are so curious about EVERYTHING (why? but why? whyyy?!) and books help kids to make sense of the world around them: to understand things like nature, feelings, friendship, other cultures, families, disabilities, human rights, love, and laughter, and they can also help explain difficult and serious topics like grief and climate change - all sorts of things! The joys of reading with kids are endless… Did you have a favourite childhood book? Ah, I have lots of favourites! But if I had to pick it would be ‘Burglar Bill’ by Janet and Allan Ahlberg - first published in 1977. I remember the pictures so clearly and loved hearing my dad put on silly voices. We still quote the book to this day, “That’s a nice biscuit…- I’ll have that!” It makes me giggle every time. How many books have you done? I have written and illustrated four picture books for Pavilion Children’s Books, and three rhyming board books for soft-toy creators Jellycat. Seven so far! Fingers crossed I get the opportunity to do many more. Do you have a studio that you write/draw in?? Yes, I share a studio with a lovely bunch of illustrators and a fab fashion designer in central Bristol, UK. I recently moved here from London to live with my partner, James, and knew that I’d go a bit mad if I worked from home, so I was delighted to find such a cool place and make some new friends. There’s a pub across the road too, so it’s a win-win all round. Where is your favourite place to go? Anywhere outdoors! Bristol is beautiful and we are spoilt with green spaces. I’ve got a book in the flat called ‘Beyond Bristol: 24 Country Walks’ by Robin Tetlow, which we’re working our way through. I like wandering through pretty little villages and getting house envy! I also crave swimming outdoors. Do you ever visit a library? Yes, one of the first things on my to-do list once I’d settled in to my new home was to join the library - luckily there’s one less than a 5-minute walk away. I read a lot of children’s books, both current and classic, for “research”. It makes me sad hearing about library closures across Britain and the loss of funding for librarians in schools. What’s your perfect kind of day? A productive one! A good mix of thinking up excellent book ideas, drinking tea, chatting with friends, going on a walk / swim, cooking a yummy meal, maybe watching a film. Cuddling a cat. I love a good giggle too. Any new up coming titles coming out soon, that we should be looking out for? Weirdest phrase ever but keep your eyes peeled for my fourth picture book, The Big Stink, which comes out in June with Pavilion! It’s about a mouse who can’t resist stealing a famous cheese sculpture. It was a lot of fun to do. I’m also currently working on my next idea, due in spring 2020. Thanks answering our question Lucy, it been great getting to know a bit more about you. More information on Lucy. www.lucyfreegard.com Books here. Instagram @lucyfreegard Facebook @lucyfreegardillustration Twitter @LucyFreegard www.booktopia.com.au www.bookdepository.com www.amazon.co.uk www.amazon.com.au www.dymocks.com.au www.angusrobertson.com.au www.fishpond.com.au
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Illustrator Our little chat with Jesses. How many books have you done? I think I'm up to about 12 published now, but quite a few are coming out later this year. What inspires you to write/draw? I've always been addicted to drawing and crafting, it started from a kid and luckily my mum embraced it! I get inspired by my kids, other amazing work out there, nature - rainy walks and creeks, reading and gardens. What do you enjoy drawing the most? I love drawing animals, as I think people can read into them more easily (i.e. it doesn't have to look like you to reflect something in you, perhaps). What do you do to relax? Drawing, cooking, red wining, walking the pooch to our veggie patch, hanging with mates, going neighbourhood visiting with the kids. Do you like to cook? Absolutely love it, although my husband Matt thinks I use way too many pots and pans! (I tend to make a giant mess). What is your favourite food? Lemon sorbet ice-cream, or for actual dinner food - a pasta with almonds and sundried tomatoes Matt makes (is a pretend bolognaise!) with a mega salad. Did you take art classes as a kid? No, but mum used to encourage us to do hours... HOURS of it every day in the holidays/weekend! She'd set up a long craft table with clay, glitter, pens etc - and we would be happy for most of that time! What was your first job? My first "proper" post high school job was working in the HR office at a ski resort in the US - it was way too much fun, with lunch breaks taken while skiing, and apart from illustrating no other job has ever compared. Where do you live? In Melbourne, close to the city. It's a great community that sometimes feels like a country town, as we walk everywhere and know a lot of the neighbourhood. I do still long for a weekender though, somewhere with a bit more wild nature around to rebalance city livin'! Any new up coming titles coming out soon, that we should be looking out for? I just (as of last week!) had my first author-illustrated book come out, called "There's Only One Mum Like You" published by Affirm Press and next week "Hip Hip Hooray" is launching, written by Tania McCartney and polished by Windy Hollow. Later this year I will have a Christmas book out with Penguin, I'm finishing the pages this week! Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us. You can find more information. jessesmess.com Instagram @jessesmess Facebook @JessesMessIllustrations Author & Illustrator. Here is our little chat with Lucinda Gifford. What do you love most about kids books? I love the immediacy and fun of children's stories. There’s room for wild, fascinating ideas, but also stories that reflect deeper human truths (without being preachy, ideally). And, of course, I love that children’s stories lend themselves to illustration. Did you have a favourite childhood book? It’s a toss up between ‘Burglar Bill’ by Allan and Janet Ahlberg – so funny and wry and gentle – and ‘Charmed Life’ by Dianne Wynne Jones, which is a terrific read and genuinely dark in parts. I used to devour the Enid Blyton school stories - Mallory Towers and St Clare’s - and read them over and over. Now though, I feel these stories are probably too judgemental. We’re kinder about children these days, thankfully. Does it take long to complete a book? Picture book illustrations can take months, but it depends on how detailed the style is. With writing, a simple story can come to me in a day, but take hours to perfect, over many, many weeks. I find black and white illustrations easiest and quickest. They can generally be looser, and the shading is more simple to do and I can usually do at least a couple of illustrations a day. How many books have you done? I’ve illustrated 26 books so far, four of which I’ve written myself. When did you start drawing? I’ve always drawn, though I’ve had moments of giving up, or getting interested in other things. About 15 years ago, I decided to find a way of drawing for a living, worrying that I would have failed myself otherwise. So I started practising in earnest: going to life drawing classes, researching illustration styles and creating my own stories. Did you take any art classes growing up? Only the ones at school, though I studied Architecture at Uni. This was in the 90’s, so we were still drawing by hand. LOTS of drawing! What is your studio like? It is a small, light, comfortable room in my house in Melbourne’s northern suburbs. My studio is lined with books, scattered with art materials and smells of fresh coffee and not-so-fresh Labrador. If you could be anything, what would you be? I'd be me! I like being me. I am horribly lucky as I get to do what I enjoy every day, with a dog for company. What inspires you to write/draw? Most of my ideas start with stories. And I have lots of stories circling in my head. Sometimes I'll see something – like fat tortoiseshell cat in a corner window – and start building their story. Any excuse really... Do you have a favourite thing to draw? Creating monsters, hairy animals and scary things makes me happy. And drawing dogs, preferably with funny expressions. I also enjoy making up extravagant castles and houses – I never became an architect, but I still enjoy architecture. Any new up coming titles coming out soon, that we should be looking out for? My Picture book ‘Duck Duck Moose’ will be coming out in June, in Australia and online in the UK. It’s about a friendly moose and some not-so-friendly ducks. It’s the brightest, most orange book I’ve ever done! I’ve also illustrated a gorgeous picture book by Lydia Williams, Goalkeeper for the Australia Women’s Soccer Team. It comes out in July and features lots of cute and competitive Australian animals. Thanks for answering our questions, thats a lot of books you have done! More Information on Lucinda Gifford. lucindagifford.com Instagram @lucindagifford Facebook @lucindagiffordbooks Twitter @LucindaGifford You can purchase books below. https://www.waterstones.com/author/lucinda-gifford/3135883 https://www.booktopia.com.au/search.ep?keywords=lucinda+gifford&productType=917504 https://www.dymocks.com.au/books/?term=lucinda%20gifford https://www.amazon.com/s?k=lucinda+gifford&i=stripbooks-intl-ship&ref=nb_sb_noss Illustrator. Here is our little interview with Leeza. How many books have you done? Approximately nine picture books, two of which I also wrote, plus an illustrated chapter book series . There are seven books in the series so far, with three already done and the other four at different stages of completion. It’s been a busy few years! What age did you know you wanted to be an author/illustrator? There wasn’t one defining moment where I felt destined to do this from a young age actually, though I knew I’d always be making art. The first time happened when I was about 12 years old, but the dream was short-lived. After a summer of doodling my ideas for books I quickly moved on to something else and eventually took a different career path into graphic design. Fast forward into the early 2000s—after a number of years illustrating for editorial publications on the side—I stumbled across the Illustration Friday blog that led me to the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Flashback! I couldn’t shake all those thoughts of ‘I wonder,’ ‘what if,’ and ‘is it worth me trying?’ so gave it a shot and here we are. Do you have a pet? We have a 3-year-old grey tabby called Jaspurr-purr. He’s a beast (but he’s cute)! Where do you live? I’m from the south of England, but currently live in the USA, just outside New York City. Where do you like to go for holidays? Anywhere, really. Travel is another passion of mine. If it’s a hot climate, even better! My favourite places to visit usually involve speaking a foreign language. We go to Spain regularly and that’s always a great time, though I love Hawaii, too. At some point, I hope to explore Japan, Australia and Indonesia. What music do you like? It’s a mixed bag, depending on my mood or workload. If I’m relaxing, then lounge and deep house music is a go-to as well as classical, the blues or old jazz. When I’m on a crazy deadline I need a hard ’n’ fast tempo, so will listen to dance or rock music—from Ministry of Sound (I’m so old school) to ACDC! [Yikes, I probably just dated myself, right?!] If you could do anything, what would you do? Gosh, that’s a loaded question. If it’s based on my present life situation, I’m not sure it’d be that different to what I’m currently doing which might sound a bit boring. I love making art and traveling, so maybe I’d do more of that full time with my family. If I were younger with better eyesight, being an astronaut or pilot would be cool (I’ve always been fascinated by space and air travel). And because I love languages, I’d also travel around the world and learn as many as I could—whilst still making art of course. What did you want to be when you were a kid? In my younger years I wanted to be an air stewardess. Then, when I started learning languages in school, I switched my goals and wanted to be an interpreter. I was always making art, but didn’t truly consider it as a career until my early teens. What inspires you to draw? Everyday stuff—from the cat and my family, to just being out and about observing the world. Colours in a rusty old dump truck, patterns on the side of a building, or textures in a restaurant will stop me in my tracks and I’ll think “wow, that’s so cool.” Then I’ll capture what I see with a sketch or quick photo and save it for a future illustration. Do you have a favourite thing to draw? Mostly animals and abstract shapes. Lately, I’ve been drawing a lot of cats, crabs and alpacas. What is your most recent book called? I just finished illustrating a picture book with Charlesbridge Publishing called “Did You Burp? How to Ask Questions (Or Not)” written by April Pulley Sayre, and “Mia Mayhem and the Super Bully” which is book three of the Mia Mayhem chapter book series with Little Simon /S&S. Did it take you long to do? “Did You Burp?” took about 12-15 months start to finish—from character samples, to sketches, revisions and final art. The chapter book artwork happens in a much shorter timeframe. One book (soup-to-nuts) is usually done within about three months. The deadlines are crazy on those, and even though there are way more illustrations to paint, the artwork is greyscale and smaller so it's more manageable (usually!). When do the books come out? “Mia Mayhem and the Super Bully” comes out in May and “Did You Burp?” releases in August. I'm super exctied! Thanks Leeza for taking the time to answer some questions for us. I would love to visit Spain and Hawaii, I have heard lots of good things about those places. There is nothing wrong with old school music, we are Ministry of Sounds fans in this house too :) More Information on Leeza. www.leezaworks.com Instagram @leezaworks Twitter @leezaworks You can find books at: www.booktopia.com.au www.bookdepository.com www.amazon.co.uk www.amazon.com.au Illustrator Here is our chat with Angie. Why do you love doing children's books? I honestly can't think of a better job than getting to play with pictures and words to create something to be shared with children! It's always very much a creative collaboration with the writer, editor and designer too and I really enjoy working closely with the publishing team. How many books have you done? So far I've illustrated eight picture books, and I've created three gift books based on my cat illustrations too. Do you have a favourite thing to draw? Yes! I love to draw cats and my instagram account is almost entirely devoted to my cat illustrations these days! Apart from cats, I love to draw all animals and babies and children. Basically anything that's cute! What is your favourite cat breed? Personally I don't really go in for particular breeds and prefer regular moggies, but I've never met a cat I didn't want to draw! Do you own a cat? Yes, I have four at the moment, as well as two rescue donkeys and five hens. What makes you happy? If my studio is messy, which it usually is, it always makes me happy to tidy up! Are you reading a book yourself at the moment? if so what is it? At the moment I'm enjoying The Loving Spirit by Daphne Du Maurier. It's a novel about a family of ship builders in Cornwall and is beautifully written, full of atmosphere and poetry. What was something funny that happened to you as a kid? I always loved animals as a child. We lived in a very suburban area and when I went out to play I would very often come back home with a stray animal that had just sort of followed me. Usually it was a cat or a dog, but I really got in trouble one day when I turned up at the front door with a very large horse in tow! Whats your favourite thing? I don't know if I could name one single thing but new art materials and my cats are definitely up there in the top ten! Any new up coming titles coming out soon, that we should be looking out for? The Colour of Happy, published by Hodder, is out now in hardback, and the paperback will be available in May. Don't Make Me Cross!, published by Bloomsbury, is the sequel to Don't Call Me Sweet and comes out in April. The Great Pumpkin Contest is my first title as illustrator and author. Its published by HarperCollins US and comes out September this year. Artsy Cats, published by Mudpuppy in June, is a fun book of cat portraits, each inspired by an iconic style from modern art history. Thanks Angie for taking the time to answer some questions for us. More Information. www.angierozelaar.com www.planetcatstudio.com Instagram @angierozelaar Twitter @AngieRozelaar You can find more books at. www.booktopia.com.au www.bookdepository.com www.amazon.co.uk www.amazon.com.au www.dymocks.com.au www.angusrobertson.com.au www.fishpond.com.au Author & Illustrator Read our little interview with Nicola. What do you love most enjoy about kids books? I love the way they combine simplicity and humour with some quite profound ideas. Also, that kids books unite generations and classes. We all love a children’s book hero! What is your favourite book? Impossible! But Winnie the Pooh is high up there. Hugely funny and clever writing and such distinctive character illustrations. How many books have you done? I have just published my third picture book with Macmillan - Terry and the Brilliant Book. My other two are The Strongest Mum and Vera Jewel is Late for School. What inspires you to write/draw? I love observing the humour that arises from the every day trials and tribulations of life. A lot of my job is watching and thinking before I get going with the writing and drawing. Do you have a favourite thing to draw? Cats. I have always and will always draw a lot of cats! Do you have a pet? Surprise - I have a cat! She’s called Firelight and often keeps me company when I’m working at home. Whats food do you like? I love hearty salads and soups. I also love chocolate but am trying to eat a little less of it. Whats your favourite holiday? Last year I went to Sri Lanka with my family. I’ve never been to Asia before and it was the best time EVER. The vivid colours and flavours everywhere were so heightened compared to where I live in London. It was like walking into a wonderful illustration! Do you go into a book shop? I find it hard not to pop into any bookshop I happen to be passing. I love looking at all the cover designs, whatever genre, as well as a browse through the picture books. Where do you like to read? On a train is good. I read at bedtime but don’t last long before I have to go to sleep. What is the best thing that ever happened to you? Highlights include having my children and getting my first picture book deal, for The Strongest Mum, and seeing it in shops and libraries for the first time. Any new up coming titles coming out soon, that we should be looking out for? Terry was just out recently and I am working on new ideas now - including one about a cat! Thanks Nicola for taking the time out to answer our questions. For more information on Nicola Kent see below. nicolakent.co.uk Instagram @nicolakent Facebook @nicolakentillustration Twitter @nicolakkent You can find books below at: www.booktopia.com.au www.bookdepository.com www.amazon.co.uk www.amazon.com.au www.dymocks.com.au www.angusrobertson.com.au www.fishpond.com.au www.collinsbooks.com.au www.wordery.com www.thenile.com.au Illustrator Here is our chat with Neesha. What do you love most about kids books? In picture books I love the way that images and text work together to tell the story. A great picture book wouldn’t work with just the text alone, and vice versa. I also love the impact that books can have on children. Watching my young kids feel happy, sad, excited, etc. from a book is a special thing. Then watching them have an emotional reaction reading a book I’ve illustrated? Or a dummy I’m working on? Well it doesn’t get much better then that. Did you have a favourite childhood book? When I was very young, nearly every night before bed I would ask my dad to read MONKEY TROUBLE by Lisl Weil. That’s one of my earliest memories involving books. I still have it and read it to my kids. I also loved THE GIVING TREE by Shel Silverstein. Although that book currently makes me cry like a baby every time I read it, haha. Does it take long to complete a book? Yes. Much longer then most people would think. Especially when picture books can seem so simple, like WALK YOUR DOG. We spent more then a year working on the text and pictures and making them work well together to tell a fluent story. Most picture books take at least six months to over a year to illustrate. Some take multiple years! There’s sketches, waiting on feedback from the publisher, revisions, more sketches, more waiting, more revisions, more waiting... it’s a process. How many books have you done? I’ve done two picture books and an anthology. I’m working on my fifth early reader book for an educational publisher. And I’ve had my illustrations in a few magazines. Whats your favourite food? Oh man this is tough. I don’t really have a specific favorite BUT I do get giddy any time we go to the Olive Garden (insert sheepish smile). All you can eat breadsticks and salad and pasta? C’mon. When did you start drawing? When I was too young to remember. My mom tells me I was always drawing as a child, and just never stopped. I thank them a lot for being the type of parents to encourage it all along the way. Do you have a pet? We have a six year old Chinese Crested named Napoleon. If you don’t know what a Chinese Crested is google it, you won’t be disappointed. Then we just got a puppy named Penny! She’s 15 weeks old now and like a lovable furry shark that will bite your face off as soon as kiss it. We also have four chickens: Mama June, Toaster, Peeper, and Mini Toaster. Where do you live? I grew up in Maine and left for awhile as an adult but found my way back. As most of us Mainers do. We live in an old little town on the coast that has plenty of playgrounds and a great local farmers market. We wanted our kids to grow up in an area thats a little slower paced and it’s been perfect for us here. Where do you like to go for holidays? I’m a Jehovah’s Witness so I don’t celebrate holidays. During those times we usually plan fun activities with the kids, or get together with friends and family. It’s always low key and relaxing. My favorite vacation spot is Disney World though. I went a lot as a child, we would drive every year from Maine! We can’t get there often, because it costs a bajillion dollars now, but it will always be my favorite. Do you play a musical instrument? I wish! Can’t play to save my life, but I enjoy music so much. Watching musicians play and really feel their music is so inspiring to me. If I could choose any talent it would be to sing and play piano or guitar. If you could do anything, what would you do? See my above answer, maybe? Also travel and explore new places. I’d love to visit a different country every year. What inspires you to draw? Kind of cliché but taking a walk outside. My favorite park has hiking trails that border the ocean and it’s a very inspiring place to walk and connect with the outdoors. Also other illustrator's work. My Instagram feed is an endless supply of inspiring artwork by other artists old and current. My kids as well. It’s easy to pull illustration ideas from the funny things they say and do. Do you have a favourite thing to draw? Kids, animals, and vegetation. If that wasn’t obvious, haha. My favorite WAY of drawing is to sit at my desk with a blank piece of paper, my mechanical pencils with HB and B lead, Pinterest, good music, and the opportunity to draw whatever I want. It’s rare I have the opportunity to spend serious time drawing something for myself. Do you enjoy drawing with your kids? Would I be a terrible mom if I said no? Just kidding. My seven year old is very creative. Loves to draw, paint, build, create. She goes outside with a notebook and draws the things she finds. My four year old is wired a different way. He is very analytical and draws some, but will often say he’s “not very good.” However I LOVE his people drawings and really try to encourage him. They’re just different creatively speaking, and I find that really interesting. This summer I plan on taking my daughter plein air painting and am really looking forward to that. Any new up coming titles coming out soon, that we should be looking out for? I’m working on like three dummies right now to send off to submissions. So nothing at the moment but look out 2020! Thanks for taking the time to answers our questions, it been great getting to know you a bit more. More Information. neeshahudson.com Shop here. Neesha is offering - 20% off all prints with the code KIDSBOOKSWELOVE Instagram @neeshas_art Facebook @NeeshaHudsonIllustration Author & Illustrator Here is our chat with the lovey Sophy. What do you love most about kids books? The audience! I love the honesty of children, you know when they don't like something, but when they do like something, you know they really do! And it is such a versatile medium. I love the challenge of taking complicated concepts and distilling them down to 15 spreads Did you have a favourite childhood book? When I was little I loved Cops and Robbers By Janet and Allan Ahlberg, I loved all the details in the images and rhythm in the text that kept you galloping along through the adventure. Did you make books up as a kid? Absolutely. Aged 9 I even embarked on my first (and to date, last) murder mystery, I tried to set the whole plot up in the first page though, so I didn't get very far as it proved too much of challenge. Whats your favourite colour? Well, I love them all, but if I had to pick one it would be pink. Do you draw everyday? No! Some days are writing days and some are for drawing and some are for doing neither! But if there is a pen and paper within reach I will most likely start doodling! Does it take long to complete a book? Hmmm, that is a tricky question as some stories arrive fully formed and I can picture the images just like that. Others come along in dribs and drabs and require wrestling into shape, so they tend to take longer. How many books have you done? About 21 1/2! What inspires you to draw? The desire to get the pictures in my head out into the world. I think my favourite part of the process is dreaming up a character and then making them come alive on the page. Do you have a favourite thing to draw? I didn't think I did but when I looked back through my sketchbook recently there were an awful lot of bears! I think it's because you can give them very human qualities and expressions. Any new up coming titles coming out soon, that we should be looking out for? I have a new picture book called Super Duper You coming out on 2nd May, which I am excited about. It's about celebrating all the different, and often contradictory, things that make up each and very one of us. I think a lot of us are very tired of the stereotyping of children that goes on, and hopefully this book empowers children to celebrate every different thing that makes the SUPER! What makes you happy? My daughter, my dogs, my friends, the seaside, a cup of tea, and, at the moment, Derry Girls on Ch4! Do you have a favourite book shop to visit? Oh so many! There is a wonderful second hand book shop in Lyme Regis that I spend an awful lot of time in. But locally I am a HUGE fan of the Book Nook in Hove. A more committed, harder working, children's book championing team you would struggle to find! Whats your favourite animal? I manage to pick a colour, but I don't think I could pick just one animal. I love animals, so much my friends might even tease me about it. I used to feed the abandoned ducklings twice daily on my school run for years, and became known as the duck lady! They would swim over when they heard my voice! Whats song do you like at the moment? I have found myself singing Salt 'n' Pepper "What a man" a lot at the moment!? I do like a bit of old school hip hop every once in a while!! Though I tend to listen to audio books when I am working. What was your first job? Ohh it was great. I worked in a shop called Robertsons which, among many other things, roasted coffee beans and we would weigh them out, then grind them to the customers requirements, and this *might* have been over 30 years ago, so fresh coffee was something of a speciality! It was described as a miniature Fortnums, packed with delicious things and the tea breaks were magnificent. Whats something you can't live without? People and pets aside, tea. Definitely tea. Thanks Sophy for your time, great answers! You can find more about Sophy Henn and her books at: www.sophyhenn.com Instagram @sophyhenn You can find books at www.booktopia.com.au www.bookdepository.com www.amazon.co.uk www.fishpond.com.au www.wordery.com Author Here's our chat with Timothy. -Do you have a favourite kids books you have done? It’s a very good question, one that I’m often asked when I go into schools to read my stories, and I’m not going to answer it - quite. That’s because my favourite book of mine is the next one, the one I haven’t written yet. It’s so full of potential - it could be the best book anyone anywhere has ever written (well, it could be) - that I really want to find out about it. That’s why I keep on writing, because I want to know what my next book is all about, and because I hope that one day I will write the perfect book. I won’t, of course, but this particular journey is not about the destination, it’s about the travelling. How many books have you done? I’m sorry to say I’ve lost track, but it’s more than sixty, which is quite a lot! What inspires you to write? It’s partly what I said in answer to the first question - I want to find out what my next book is about, so I have to write it - and it’s partly the joy I have always derived from stories, both reading them and writing them. The idea that you can go anywhere and do anything in a book is just too exciting to leave alone for very long. Did you write stories as a child? I did write stories as a child, both in class and in my own time. I remember my friends and I at primary school had our own comic book (I also remember that their stories were better than mine!). That’s another thing I tell kids at schools when they ask me when did I start being a writer. The answer is, I started at the same age they did, and in the same way they did - in class, being asked by a teacher to write a story. I just kept on doing it when all of the other people in that class (including my friends I did the comic with) gave it up to do other things. So if those kids want to do what I do now, if they want to become writers, they just need to keep writing. What is your favourite food? Chocolate brownies! If you could be anything you wanted to be, what would it be? I’m being it now. And, being a writer, I can be anything I want to be just by writing about it. What do you do on weekends for fun? I read, I go to the cinema and I go to the theatre (I also co-write musicals, which is another passion of mine) and I like to travel too. Where is your favourite place to go? I do like to travel and at the moment my favourite place is a tie between Rome and Florence. Do you visit a local bookshop regularly? I do - the Regency Bookshop in Surbiton and the Alligator’s Mouth in Richmond. They are both fantastic! Any new up coming titles coming out soon, that we should be looking out for? I’ve just published Captain Sparklebeard (illustrated by Sam Lloyd), about a girl who wants to be a pirate, and What’s Next? (Illustrated by Jane McGuinness), about a baby badger who likes exploring, and in June I’ll be publishing Harry In A Hurry, with illustrations by Gemma Merino, whose book The Crocodile Who Didn’t Like Water is a big favourite of mine. Also on the way are a new book in the Superhero Parents series, Superhero Gran (illustrated by Joe Berger), and a sequel to the hilariously disgusting (or disgustingly hilarious) Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Bogey (illustrated by Tom Knight). Thanks for chatting to me, great answers! More information. www.timothyknapman.co.uk Books here. Instagram @timothymknapman Facebook @Timothy-Knapman-Childrens-Writer-Lyricist-Playwright You can find books also at: www.booktopia.com.au www.bookdepository.com www.amazon.co.uk www.amazon.com.au www.dymocks.com.au www.angusrobertson.com.au www.fishpond.com.au www.collinsbooks.com.au www.betterworldbooks.com www.wordery.com www.thenile.com.au Author & Illustrator Our little interview with Catherine. What do you love most about kids books? I love that children's books are a magic world between two covers that can be enjoyed and looked back upon forever! Did you have a favourite childhood book? Ooh, that's a hard question as there are so many books I loved. However, if I had to choose just one it would have to be The Enormous Crocodile by Roald Dahl How many books have you done? I've written and/or illustrated over 25 books now. I can't quite believe it! Do you have a favourite thing to draw? Creatures are my very favourite things to draw. I have spent a lot of time with various animals during my life, and what really excites me is capturing their personalities in a pencil line. What inspires you to write/draw? I am still inspired by my own pets. My horse and cat especially. When I’m riding I take in the shapes of the countryside, plants and trees and I try to absorb the colours. -What do you do for fun? My family and work keeps me very busy indeed but if I have some spare time I love to go for a good long run and spend time with my horse, Shannon. I read a lot too! What makes you happy? My family....oh and coffee!! Do you have a pet? Whats it name? We share our home with Ena the cat and Richard and the fish. My horse, Shannon is very much part of our family and is stabled nearby. Do you get time to read novels for yourself? I do! I love reading, especially on holiday when I can get through a stack of books! What is your favourite food? Yogurt! I get through loads of it! Do you have a favourite book shop to visit? I'm very lucky to have a fantastic local bookshop, The Edinburgh Bookshop in Brunsfield. Any new up coming titles coming out soon, that we should be looking out for? I'm really excited that The Go-Away Bird has just been released, illustrated by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by me. Thanks for taking the time to answer these for us. you sure have done a lot of books! More Information. www.catherinerayner.co.uk Books here. Twitter: @catherinerayner Instagram: @catherine.rayner Facebook @catherineraynerillustration You can get books from. www.booktopia.com.au www.bookdepository.com www.amazon.co.uk www.amazon.com.au www.dymocks.com.au www.angusrobertson.com.au www.fishpond.com.au |