October was a very busy month for me, with lots of writing and art each day. It was also a strange switch round of roles on my chat - #ukteenchat - where I became the guest rather than host. The lovely Emma Bradley was kind enough to host my chat, and you can see our questions and answers below...
1, Could you tell us a little bit about your new book, Grimogen
Darkstar Bat-Cat-Tastrophe, please?
It’s a story about a little grim reaper, with a wild
imagination who loves animals and really wants her first pet. But she’s got to
prove that she’s ready for the responsibility, which leads to chaos and fun at
Howler’s Rescue Centre. It’s a bit of a magical version of The Boy Who Cried
Wolf.
2, Was there anything in particular that inspired Grimogen
Darkstar?
Grimogen was inspired by my love of all things spooky and
gothic, combined with a passion for animals, and the fun you can have when you
bring magic into the mix, and magical animal combinations, for example: Bat-Cats
and Unipugs.
3, Did you need to research anything for Grimogen
Darkstar?
The main research I had to do for Grimogen was looking at
different mythical creatures, and also non magical creatures that would likely
be in Grimogen’s world. Of course, this meant getting distracted by pictures of
cute cats and dogs!
4, Bat-Cats are obviously a favourite magical creature of
yours, but if you could foster a magical pet what would it be?
Ever since I was at junior school and discovered them in a
story, I have wanted my own phoenix. I’ve been absolutely obsessed with them
ever since. Though weirdly they don’t actually feature in any of my stories so
far…
5, You’ve written for both younger and older children, do
you find changing between the age groups tricky or have a preference between
them?
I like the freedom that comes from having very different and
distinct voices to write in. The younger books are fun and hopeful with plenty
of magic and sparkle, and also incredibly tight on the word count. Then my
older stories, whilst usually still have magic, they are much darker in tone,
and it’s nice to write in quite a lyrical way and have more words to play with,
and also bring a little romance to stories too.
6, This is your first book where you’re also the
illustrator, how did you find the process?
To be honest, I was terrified when Tiny Tree first asked me
to illustrate too. Whilst I created art regularly, I had never tried to
illustrate a book before, so I didn’t know if I even could. But it was really
interesting learning the process and getting requests for specific scenes or
characters and then I’d go off and decide exactly how and what to draw. It’s
amazing to see things that existed in my head go from paper to iPad and then
into a book!
7, Are you a plotter or pantser?
I was once firmly in the pantser camp, and now the more I
write, the more I like to have some sort of roadmap in place before I get
started. But there’s still plenty of room for discovery writing along the way.
8, Do you have any writing rituals or a favourite place
to write?
I actually have a lovely writing desk I got from a charity
shop, but I write more sat on the settee, and I’m always much more productive
with a cup of tea, especially in one of my favourite mugs.
9, Can you tell us anything about what you’re currently
working on?
Currently, I’m not under contract with this one, bit I’m
working on a dark YA, that may or may not feature phoenix in some way.
10, Do you have any writing advice or tips you’d like to
share?
Read as much as you can in all sorts of age groups and
genres, but particularly read books released in recent years to get a feel for
current voices. I know it’s said a lot, but my biggest tip is always going to
be find writing buddies, join a writing group, in person or online, they are
the only people who totally get what you’re going through and will be there on
the rollercoaster with you.
You can get your own copy of Grimogen Darkstar from most bookshops now:
GRIMOGEN DARKSTAR: BAT-CAT-TASTROPHE by Emma Finlayson-Palmer | Waterstones
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