Author/Illustrator Posts

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The story behind Becoming Brave by Jennie Cashman Wilson

In my new picture book, “Becoming Brave,” I share a deeply personal journey about my own childhood and the impact of the pressures to conform. The story revolves around my transformation from a free-spirited, creative child into someone who felt the constant need to be ‘good’ in order to please the adults around me. This shift ultimately led me to abandon my true desires in favour of approval. Meanwhile on the other side of the world there was a boy who had fallen in love with the trumpet and would do anything to keep playing. The turning point in my life came when I met that grownup boy Abram, a jazz musician who showed me what I’d been missing. Following his passing three years later, I realised that I had nothing to lose and gradually started embracing my fears. It took nearly seven years for me to truly understand the concept that it was okay to fail, which is when I penned ‘Becoming Brave.’

Writing a picture book with the messages of love, loss, fear and courage was not my initial goal. It happened serendipitously. My journey towards ‘Becoming Brave’ started when I embarked on a two-week clowning course in 2019, where I got to embody the magic of embracing failure and learned how I could transform it into something else. Following on from this experience I began working through ‘The Artist’s Way’ by Julia Cameron and that led me to scribbling down my initial ‘Becoming Brave’ story. My words remained hidden in one of my journals for months, but eventually, I found them again. The decision to share my story was driven by my desire to encourage people, especially young children, to have confidence in themselves and their creative potential, even in the face of setbacks.

I first shared my story when I had the privilege of speaking to a thousand primary school children at Symphony Hall in Birmingham, sharing my experiences and those of Abram as part of their annual Generation Ladywood project. This project was close to my heart, as I had watched a whole year group grow from reception to Year 6, which was incredibly special. I wanted children to understand that being brave involves acknowledging fear and the possibility of failure, while also reassuring them that they would be okay. I aimed to convey that failure is not something to fear but rather an opportunity for growth and creativity. The message of ‘No Fear!’ became our annual chant, emphasising the importance of courage in the face of adversity and I’m thrilled that I had the chance to share my story with them first. As the story evolved into a children’s picture book, it felt important to emphasise the process of finding courage from within rather than pushing away fear, hence the title ‘Becoming Brave’.

I’m so grateful to Little Tiger for their commitment to bringing this story to life, especially Nikki, Isabel and Emma who were so passionate, patient and collaborative in their approach. Tomekah’s illustrations are beautiful, and it I feel very lucky that she agreed to take on this story as her first picture book. Thank you and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed making it.

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The inspiration behind Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian

I’m so honored that my novel ONLY THIS BEAUTIFUL MOMENT is being published in the UK and Commonwealth by Little Tiger for many reasons, not least of which is that when I was growing up, I never thought a book that’s both this Iranian and this queer would ever be published, let alone that I would write it. This is in many ways a book about coming out of the shadows. My family, like many immigrant families, hid the secrets of their trauma from me. And perhaps learning from their example, I spent too many years hiding my queerness from them and from the world. What I found in writing this book is a firm belief that while our trauma can be passed down from generation to generation, so can our joy, our love, our loyalty, our poetry.

ONLY THIS BEAUTIFUL MOMENT is about three generations of men in the same Iranian family. Each of the Jafarzadeh men – Moud, Saeed and Bobby – tells the story of a teenage journey between Los Angeles to Tehran or vice versa. Because the novel takes place in the 1930s, the 1970s, and present day, it allowed me to dig into the complex connective tissue of history, and how we’re always carrying our history within us. It also allowed me to depict intergenerational grace and forgiveness. Throughout my life, I’ve struggled with western friends who wanted to cast my family and my culture as the villains of my story for not embracing my sexuality. My friends often spoke the language of American self-empowerment, which tells us that if someone doesn’t accept us as we are, we should bid them goodbye. I spoke the language of immigrant families, which taught me that family loyalty comes before everything else. I felt caught between two worlds for most of my life, and often still do, which is why I try so hard to unite those two worlds in my fiction. In bringing conflicting worlds and identities together on the page, I hope to inspire myself to keep bridge-building off the page, and to keep striving for unity and forgiveness in a world full of division and shame.

I hope readers of this novel will be similarly inspired, and that they see this novel as an invitation to engage in many of life’s biggest questions about where we are now and how we got here, and to come up with their own unique answers. And I also hope that readers who are interested in the novel’s depiction of political issues, such as anti-queer legislation and western intervention in the Middle East, come away with an appreciation for how issues they may view as purely political are deeply personal for families like the Jafarzadeh family. Just like Moud develops a deeper empathy for his father and grandfather by learning their stories, I hope this novel inspires readers to really take the time to get to know people’s histories, and develop a deeper empathy for others. We’re all carrying so much intergenerational joy, trauma, love, fear, loyalty, and only by recognizing our common humanity can we create the most beautiful moments.

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I Was Raised By Robots by Guy Bass

I come from a big family. Like, really big. My nuclear family consisted of my mum, dad and brother. Sure, that might not sound as colossal as your own set up, with your three sisters and six brothers and twelve dads. But I haven’t included the robots … and there were a lot of robots. Every time I opened a book or comic or turned on the TV or went to the cinema or let my imagination wander, there they were, waiting for me, ready to entertain, engage and inspire – androids, automatons, machines and mechanoids galore. I’m not sure whether I adopted the robots or the robots adopted me, but as far as I was concerned, those mechanical marvels were as much my family as my mushy, organic relatives.

My robot family looked nothing like my human family. They were considerably more metal, with blinking lights and whirring servos and wheels for feet. They also had much cooler names (which I’m definitely not listing just to increase the word count of this blog) – how could my organic kin hope to compete with ‘bots named Twiki, Zax, T-Bob, Nono, Marvin, Robby, Rosey, Johnny 5, 7-Zark-7, K9, H.A.L. 9000, H.E.R.B.I.E., F.L.U.F.F.I, C.H.I.P., B.U.G., S.A.M.A.N.T.H.A., V.I.N.C.E.N.T., Old B.O.B. (don’t ask me what any of their names stand for – families don’t ask), Machine Man, Robotman, The Iron Man/Giant, Vision, Ultron, Jocasta, The Human Torch, Red Tornado, Hewey, Dewey, Louie, Optimus Prime, Megatron, and, of course, R2-D2 and C-3PO?

My robot family was not an assortment of mindless machines, however; K9 and C-3PO were the sort of patronising, know-it-all uncles that tend to drive you up the wall. T-Bob and Nono were little brothers who, for some reason, had been programmed to be annoying at least 96% of the time. Vision and Jocasta were older siblings who were slightly distant and aloof, but So. Unbelievably. Cool. Optimus Prime was a very serious parent, always ready to dish out wisdom or drop a moral message, while Megatron was, let’s face it, a far more fun father figure, if you ignored all the global conquest and/or domination (which, looking back, probably set a bad example for an eight-year-old keen to make an impression upon the world.) Indeed, in every way that counted, my robot family was just as human as my human family, if not more so. The fact that they weren’t actually human made them even more relatable … even more human. The fact that a robot’s humanity must be learned and earned perhaps makes it even more profound. Plus, Megatron was a hoot at Christmas, always shouting “I’ll crush you with my bare hands, Earthlings!” whenever anyone had more than their fair share of pigs in blankets.

In my new book, SCRAP, robots are given the job of preparing the far-off planet of Somewhere 513 for the arrival of human colonists. But, when the robots decide they want to keep the world for themselves, humanity itself is outlawed. As the robots reject their programming to become more human, the colonists are banished. Now, one lonely, rejected robot finds himself tied to the humans’ fate, when he discovers two children, Paige and Gnat, are still stuck on the planet, and desperate to escape. As Scrap and the children find family ties bind them together, Scrap must decide whether to reawaken the best side of his own humanity.

So, here’s to my robot family, and robot families everywhere, always ready to teach us more about ourselves.

Even if they have wheels for feet.

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Q&A with Above and Below: Sea and Shore author, Harriet Evans


 

 

 

 

Above and Below is a unique split page and lift-the-flap book, can you explain how the book works?

The book showcases eight watery habitats from across the world, with facts about the creatures and plants that inhabit these places – or their geological features – on the left and Hannah Bailey’s beautiful illustrations on the right. Each artwork is divided into two using a split-page flap that allows the reader to delve further into these underwater worlds to discover what lies beneath the waves.

 What kinds of areas of the world do you cover in the book?

We journey all around the planet, taking in some of the magnificent marine life along the way! From the sandy shallows of the British coastline to the amazing mangrove forests of Asia and from colourful coral reefs to the darkest depths of the deep ocean, there should be something to capture every young nature-lover’s imagination!  

Did you have to do a lot of research the content in the book, how did you go about deciding which facts to cover?

I definitely did have to research the places – sadly my knowledge of habitats isn’t quite encyclopaedic just yet! I love finding stories in nature, so I was particularly drawn to the facts that helped me imagine the lives of the animals I was writing about or that challenged my expectations of these creatures. For example, did you know that seagulls stamp on the ground to imitate the sound of rainfall and trick worms out into the open where they can be quickly gobbled up? Or that plover birds build fake nests to draw predators away from their hatchlings?

How do you make the subjects you cover engaging for your readers?

 I tried to pick a mixture of different creatures – some that readers would know and enjoy spotting but also animals that they might not have encountered before like the opalescent nudibranch (great name!) or the Irrawaddy dolphin. Similarly, we took care to pick a variety of different locations so we could have a broad sweep of different animals, plants and geographic features.

What do you think of the look of the finished book, with illustrations by Hannah Bailey? Are there any spreads that stand out for you?

Hannah Bailey’s illustrations are completely gorgeous, so I was thrilled! She’s a master at adding small details that make the whole habitat come to life and was so skilled at the shifts of perspective that you need for the split-page novelty to work. I love all the spreads but the kelp forest one has a special place in my heart. Otters are one of my favourite animals and I think Hannah’s depiction of the harbour seal and leopard shark on this spread are beautiful too!

 

 

Other than some fascinating insights into our world, what would you like young readers to take from your book?

That our planet is a much weirder and more wonderful place than we often remember. Learning more about the Earth’s incredible habitats – some of which are on our doorstep – can encourage us to live more thoughtfully and be aware that we share this world and have a responsibility to protect it.

How do you think this book could be used in classrooms?

One of the things I love about this series is how it taps into your curiosity – what else could be hiding inside a habitat? What might come out at night or what lived there eons before? Perhaps teachers could give each child their own simple seascape picture and assign them different oceans to use as inspiration to draw and write about underwater worlds. Or maybe they could read the book in class together and each child could choose an animal or plant and research it further to present their findings to the class? For younger children, perhaps you could match the animals mentioned to their habitat. It could be a great way to think about how different creatures are adapted to where they live and the relationships that we all have with our homes.

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Away With Words– A Q&A with author Sophie Cameron

A Q&A with Away With Words author Sophie Cameron.

Out May 2023.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is your latest book, Away With Words about?

Away With Words is set in a version of our world where we can see and touch the words that people speak, as well as hear them. The story is about 11-year-old Gala, who has just moved from Spain to Scotland with her dad to live with his boyfriend, and her difficulties with learning English and adapting to her new home. She makes a friend at her new school named Natalie, who has selective mutism and collects other people’s old speech. The girls begin writing messages to their classmates with the discarded words, but something goes wrong and it gets them into trouble.

What was the inspiration behind Away With Words?

I really love learning languages – I think I’ve studied around 15 over the years, though unfortunately I’ve forgotten most of them too! I often find producing different sounds really difficult, though, so the idea of speech having a physical dimension came from feeling like words were literally stuck in my mouth and unable to come out. I was also inspired by children’s books that use language in interesting ways, such as Sophie Someone by Hayley Long and Crongton Knights by Alex Wheatle.

Away With Words explores communication, did you do a lot of research for the novel?

I moved to Spain 7 years ago, and some parts of Gala’s story are based on my own experiences of living and working in Spanish and Catalan – the frustration of not being able to explain myself as well or as quickly as I’d like, or the thrill of realising that I’d made progress. But I chose to move abroad, whereas Gala is thrown into an environment where no one speaks her language and she has no say in the matter. I read up on ESL teaching and spoke to several people who had been similar situations – my wife moved from France to Scotland when she was 11, so her input helped a lot! I also did a lot of research on selective mutism for Natalie’s part of the story. We later had a sensitivity read done by a paediatric speech and language therapist, so it was really interesting to get their feedback.

What part of Away With Words are you most excited for young people to read?

I’m mostly excited for people to read about the concept and hopefully hear some of their own ideas about how communication would work in a world where speech was visible. Pip Johnson, the Senior Designer at Little Tiger who designed and illustrated the wonderful cover, has also done an amazing job getting creative with the layout of the text and it looks brilliant – so while I can’t take credit for that, I can’t wait to see what readers think of it!

How has Scotland and Spain influenced your writing?

Settings are really important for me, which is why all four of my published books so far take place in Scotland – it’s the place I know best, and being able to visualise the locations and include small, real-life details brings the story to life for me. Away With Words is set in Fortrose on the Black Isle, where I grew up, so it was really nice to be able to include some of my favourite places and weave them into Gala’s story. I’m finding that Spanish elements are cropping up in my writing more and more, though, and I have a few ideas for stories set here too.

What’s the best part about being a children’s author?

It’s always amazing to hear from readers, especially young ones, that they’ve enjoyed my books or that they’ve helped them in some way. Many of the books that have most influenced me are ones I read when I was young, so it’s a real privilege to think that someone could one day look back at one of my stories in a similar way.

Where and when do you do your best writing, and what are you working on at the moment?

I work best in cafes, preferably in the morning. Something about the noise and movement around me gives me a better focus on what I’m working on, and I’m far less likely to get distracted if I’m out of the house. Right now I’m hopping between a few projects: a contemporary MG novel, a YA fantasy, and what will hopefully be my first book for adults.

What does a ‘day off’ from writing look like for you?

I work for a communications agency and I have 3-year-old twins, so writing actually feels like a day off for me! When I’m not busy, I’m usually studying languages (right now I’m focusing on Korean, Italian and Gaelic), baking or watching TV.

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Fanny the Gipsy Hill Cat. The inspiration behind The Railway Kitten by Holly Webb

Children at book events often ask me if all the cats and dogs in my Animal Stories series belong to me. I have to explain that I could never have written the books without the wonderful animals I’ve been lucky enough to share my life with, but I haven’t actually had fifty-five different puppies and kittens. (The fifty-fifth book in the series is published in April!) Even though I did grow up with one cat, two dogs, twelve gerbils, a mouse, three hamsters, a terrapin, some stick insects and a canary (not absolutely all at the same time).

Lots of the books are actually based on my own pets – Lost in the Snow,
the very first book in the series was inspired by Rosie, the stray kitten who adopted my family a little while before I was born. Our clever kitten was a family story, and I have such strong memories of making up adventures for her with my mum. When my editor at Little Tiger suggested writing a lost cat book, seventeen years ago, those stories were still in my head. In every story the poor kitten was having a terrible time – she was lost, stuck in the snow, hungry, being chased by a dog – but it was OK, because I knew that she was actually downstairs, probably curled up on the back of the sofa (or letting my dad feed her cheese and onion crisps, which were her favourite treat). I wanted that drama and danger in my books, along with the security of a happy ending.

Now I have three very spoilt cats (I’ve just rescued a coffee cup with milk in from my eldest cat, who thinks food tastes better stolen). They’ve inspired five books between the three of them so far, as well as giving me constant reminders on cat behaviour while trying to sit on my laptop. But lots of my books are based on stories from friends, and even from readers. I had the most brilliant email from a fan called Edie a few years ago, telling me about her kitten who’d been rescued from a barbed wire fence, and named Barbie! I read it thinking, wow, this is a book! That email became The Rescued Kitten.

The Railway Kitten came from being told another wonderful rescue story. My agent Julia told me about the cat at Gipsy Hill Station near where she lives – actually just up the road from Norwood, where I grew up. I loved the idea of a station cat who liked to greet all the passengers, and wondered about putting a station cat into a book. However, I’d actually already written The Forgotten Puppy, about a dog
who accidentally goes on a train journey, and I didn’t want the stories to be too similar, so I made notes
and stored the idea away. (The Forgotten Puppy was inspired by a reader who told me at a book event about her station staff dad finding a dog on one of his trains!) A while later, Julia gave me an update on Fanny the Gipsy Hill Cat – she’d been hit by a car and badly injured, but a crowdfunder had raised the money for her operation in a matter of hours. It was such a wonderful example of love. Fanny was actually saved by community donations a second time in 2020, when she had a serious infection and needed veterinary care.

Real animal stories are a fantastic starting point – but I often have to make a lot of changes to make the original story work for a children’s book. For The Railway Kitten I really wanted to add child characters. Scarlett and Abbie are nine-year-old girls who love seeing Whiskers at the station every day on their way to school – they’re really worried when she disappears, and they’re the ones to discover the kitten after her accident. They’re desperate to save her, but the kitten’s owners need help to fund her surgery. The girls are the ones to suggest fundraising, and they make posters to put all round the station to tell everyone who loves Whiskers what’s happening. After the surgery Whiskers’s owners aren’t able to give her the care she needs, and Scarlett adopts her. The details about Whiskers’s operation and aftercare actually came from my own cat Milly, who was hit by a car a few years ago (the third book she’s had a major part in!)

I’m so excited for The Railway Kitten to be published – it’s a story that I’ve been thinking about for such a long time!

 

Photo credit: Charlotte Knee

To hear more from Holly Webb, then watch this interview filmed last year at Holly’s home.

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Tourmaline and the Island of Elsewhere – A Q&A with Ruth Lauren

When Tourmaline’s mother goes missing on a search for precious artefacts, Tourmaline sets off to find her with her best friend George, her new friend (former foe) Mai and her limitless determination. On their adventure, they encounter a band of female pirates, a maze of talking trees and a series of challenges that test the children and their friendship. But will it be enough to reunite Tourmaline with her mother?

The first book in a fun, feminist fantasy adventure series, with a protagonist that flies off the page and into readers’ imaginations. Perfect for fans of Katherine Rundell, Vashti Hardy and Abi Elphinstone.

If you’d like to find out more about the author behind Tourmaline and the Island of Elsewhere, check out Ruth Lauren’s Q&A below:

What is Tourmaline and the Island of Elsewhere about?

 It’s about a very determined girl who has to launch a rescue mission when her intrepid explorer mother goes missing. It’s also about friendship and thinking about right and wrong and how it’s not always straightforward to tell the difference – but mostly it’s a fun adventure.

Tell us a bit more about the world Tourmaline lives in?

Tourmaline has lived all of her life in Pellavere University where her mother works as an artefact hunter, but she’s about to burst out into a much bigger world where she’s going to sail the seas, discover a very strange island and learn that magic exists.

What are you most excited to share with readers of your new children’s book?

 I really hope readers will love Tourmaline and her friends (and possible foes) and I can’t wait for them to meet a certain Captain and explore the very unusual island of Elsewhere. And last, but definitely not least, I’m excited to share the beautiful and striking cover by artist Sharon King-Chai. It’s stunning!

What children’s books would you recommend to young readers that have entertained and inspired you? 

So many! I’ll restrict myself to a few favourites I’ve read very recently. For the most wonderful fantasy, I loved Utterly Dark by Philip Reeve, the Monsters of Rookhaven books by Padraig Kenny and Gallant by V.E. Schwab. The Five Realms series by Kieran Larwood is brilliant. Anything by Lucy Strange is fantastic, as is Hilary McKay. And two very different books I enjoyed for very different reasons – When the Sky Falls by Phil Earle and Wed Wabbit by Lissa Evans. I’ll leave it there or I’ll be recommending books forever.

Any tips for aspiring writers?

Read. Read everything. Read all the time. Nothing will make you a better writer than reading. And when you start writing, keep going. If you want to be a writer, you have to be very persistent and never give up – a bit like Tourmaline!