Set in the Shirley Jackson-esque small town of Grave’s Pass, a place where pooka horses, ghouls, and ghosts live side by side with ordinary folk, our fearless heroine, Raven McKay, arrives with a battered suitcase of mysteries - will Raven find her parents who have mysteriously disappeared? Who in Dead Town Can she trust? And what is the meaning behind the mystifying black butterfly? In this startlingly original gothic ghost story, debut children's author Eibhlís Carcione pairs thrills and chills with empathy and emotion with such poetic precision and bold simplicity that I devoured this book in one memorable sitting. A totally absorbing and thought-provoking tale with echoes of Neil Gaiman and Pádraig Kenny. Eibhlís is certainly a name to watch... Not to mention the book is magnificently illustrated by Ewa Beniak-Haremska, who's intoxicating artwork adds an entire new level of enchantment and curiosity. Simply exceptional. WHAT TO READ NEXT To celebrate the publication of Welcome to Dead Town Raven McKay, I'm thrilled to welcome Eibhlís Carcione to F&F with an exclusive insight behind Ewa Beniak-Haremska's gorgeous artwork. Ewa Beniak-Haremska is an exceptional artist. Ewa read Welcome to Dead Town Raven McKay and told me she loved it. She said Raven reminded her of herself when she was young. She really connected with the story. We chatted a few times on zoom with Mikka. I knew from what Ewa was saying that she had grasped the story and the characters. Ewa had quite a canvas to cover. She had to illustrate Dead Town, capture its atmosphere and also create the supernatural characters: Callie (the white lady), Bram (the wicked ghoul), a vicious red cap, a werewolf and more. She added her own touches, subtle brushstrokes. The result is very unique, very magical and very gothic. Ewa has brought Raven and Dead Town to life. She has added a layer of gothic richness to the book. I love all the illustrations in different ways. I have a few favourites. Raven has just arrived in Grave’s Pass with her suitcase with the sticker of the black butterfly. The expression in her eyes is one of wonder, fear and curiosity. Her hat with the raven feather and her clothes are captured perfectly. The background with the cobbled streets, alleys, the raven on the twisted tree, the old houses and girl is splendidly ominous. The Welcome to Dead Town mural is stunning. I love the cracks and crevices. the pigeons, the sense of squalor and, of course, the butterfly. The drawings of the werewolf, the red cap and Bram are truly brilliant. And I can’t leave out the Dead Town parade with the supernatural crowd, the pooka horses and the creepy vibes. Welcome to Dead Town Raven McKay by Eibhlís Carcione is published by Everything With Words (2023) and available to order from Bookshop UK here.

Our beloved Harvey Small returns in a side-splitting sequel, featuring a spectacle of standout characters, from vampire dentists, tooth fairies, werewolves and zombie lions! A marvellous, rollicking blend of Roald Dahl and Hotel Transylvania. This series is, quite simply put, the best kind of children's books: funny, fast paced and bursting with adventure and heart. I can only wonder what Harvey and Walloping Toenail will get up to next... WHAT TO READ NEXT To celebrate the publication of Small Bites Back, I'm thrilled to welcome Hannah Mottaff to F&F with a frightfully fantastic blog post - happy reading! How to write about vampires … when you’re scared of vampires By Hannah Moffatt I am a total scaredy cat. Take me to a theme park and I’ll stick to riding the teacups. Invite me to a ‘fright night’ to binge watch horror movies and I’ll be busy washing my hair. And as for Stephen King … the only book of his I’ve read is On Writing (which was brilliant, by the way). So, what’s a wuss like me doing writing about vampire dentists and werewolves and circuses filled with zombie performers? Honestly, I think it happened by accident. I’ve always been a pantser not a planner, so I never quite know where my stories will end up. But it’s okay. As the sequel took a turn for the (slightly) darker, I used humour to protect myself. I knew it could be done. Jennifer Killick’s Crater Lake was a masterclass comic horror. I’d also recently met Kevin the vampire in Aislinn O’Loughlin’s YA Big Bad Me who I’d defy anyone not to like. I soon realised, a dose of comedy in the right place works wonders for releasing tension. So, I did my best to fill the story with silliness whenever I was getting too scared. In my early drafts, Viscount Bloodsucker – the vampire headteacher and chief dentist at Happy Fang Dental Surgery – was carrying a whirring dentist’s drill in his first scene. Now he’s holding a toothbrush shaped like a carrot. In early drafts, when it seems like the Ring Mistress of the Unspeakable Circus has finally trapped our heroes, there was much crying and shaking and rattling of cage bars. Now the main focus is Walloping needing a wee. I like my books to have a bit of excitement. And it didn’t seem right to set up the promise of vampires and zombies in book one and not deliver in the sequel. But I didn’t want to scare readers (or myself) into sleeping with the light on, either (we’re in an energy crisis after all). Are there a few frightening moments in SMALL BITES BACK? Yes. Can you still read it if you’re a scaredy cat like me? Absoutely. Because no matter how scary the situation, I promise you’ll always find a dash of humour to get you through it. Hannah's Booklist

Lady Mary by Lucy Worsley Cover illustrated by Lidija Paradinovic The story of Henry the Eighth and Catherine of Aragon's divorce as you've never heard it before - from the eyes of their daughter, Princess Mary. Get your copy from Bookshop UK here. WHAT TO READ NEXT Ghostlight by Kenneth Oppel Cover illustrated by James Fraser Gabe doesn't believe in ghosts - until he finds himself face to face with Rebecca Strand, a sixteen year old ghost who died protecting the ghostlight in 1839. Her father was a member of the Order, a secret society devoted to protecting the world from malevolent spirits like Viker, the ghost responsible for their deaths. Now Gabe and his friends must find a way to stop Viker before they all become lost souls... Suitable for 10+. Get your copy from Bookshop UK here. WHAT TO READ NEXT The Ice Whisperers by Helenka Stachera Illustrated by Marco Guadalupi When Bela's is summoned to deepest Siberia to stay with an uncle she's never met, she uncovers a secret she was never meant to find - a doorway that opens to an icy land, frozen in time and full of legends come to life. But this frozen land is in danger, and it's up to Bela to find a way to save it. To succeed, she must join forces with the impossible: a long-lost sister she never knew she had, born 40,000 years before... Get your copy from Bookshop UK here. WHAT TO READ NEXT Into Goblyn Wood by Anna Kemp Illustrated by David Wyatt Hazel has always known she was different, but she doesn’t know where she came from. When her best friend Pete is kidnapped by strange creatures, she must gather her courage and enter Goblyn Wood, a forest inhabited by fairies. But their magic is being drained away, and Hazel soon realises that her own power is the key to saving both Pete and her new friends. Get your copy from Bookshop UK here. WHAT TO READ NEXT... The Girl, the Ghost and the Lost Name by Reece Carter Illustrated by Eleonora Asparuhova Corpse doesn't remember anything from her life. All she knows is her home on the rock-that-doesn't-exist, her friend Simon the spider, and the vile Witches whose magic she steals. But a powerful treasure could give her all the answers to what she's lost. Corpse must cross stormy seas, battle sea monsters, and face a cruel figure from her past to find it. But the Witches will do anything to get it first. Get your copy from Bookshop UK here. WHAT TO READ NEXT The Map of Leaves by Yarrow Townsend Illustrated by Marie-Alice Harel Orla has lived on her own since Ma died, with only her beloved garden for company. When sickness comes and nature is blamed, Orla knows she must find a cure. Armed with her mother's book of plants and remedies, she steals away on a river boat with two other stowaways, Idris and Ariana. Soon the trio must navigate the rapids of the Inkwater to a poisonous place from which they may never return ... Get your copy from Bookshop UK here. WHAT TO READ NEXT Tyger by SF Said Illustrated by Dave McKean Adam has found something incredible in a rubbish dump in London. A mysterious, mythical, magical animal. A TYGER. And the tyger is in danger. Adam and his friend Zadie are determined to help, but it isn't just the tyger's life at stake. Their whole world is on the verge of destruction. Can they learn to use their powers before it's too late? Get your copy from Bookshop UK here. WHAT TO READ NEXT Tamarind & the Star of Ishta by Jasbinder Bilan Cover illustrated by Aitch Map illustration by Alexis Snell When Tamarind arrives at her ancestral home she's full of questions for her extended family. But instead of answers, she finds an ominous silence and a trickle of intriguing clues: an abandoned hut, a friendly monkey, a glowing star ring, and a strange girl in the garden who calls herself Ishta. Slowly, Tamarind unravels a mystery at the heart of who she is. Get your copy from Bookshop UK here. WHAT TO READ NEXT The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill Cover illustrated by Amanda Yoshida On the edge of Stone-in-the-Glen, once a lovely town until a series of unfortunate events turned it into a desolate and cruel place, lives a kind and gentle Ogress. But when one an orphan goes missing, all eyes turn to her. The orphans know this can't be, but how can they tell the story of the Ogress's goodness to people who refuse to listen? And how can they make their deluded neighbours see the real villain in their midst, the dazzling, dragon-slayer Major? Get your copy from Bookshop UK here. WHAT TO READ NEXT The Hatmakers by Tamzin Merchant Illustrated by Paola Escobar When Cordelia's father Prospero and his ship, the Jolly Bonnet, are lost at sea, Cordelia is determined to find him. But Uncle Tiberius and Aunt Ariadne have no time to help the littlest Hatmaker, for an ancient rivalry between the Maker families is threatening to surface. Worse, someone seems to be using Maker magic to start a war. It's up to Cordelia to find out who, and why . . . Get your copy from Bookshop UK here. WHAT TO READ NEXT Yesterday Crumb and the Storm in a Teacup by Andy Sagar Illustrated by Marine Gosselin When Yesterday Crumb is taken in by Miss Dumpling, the flamboyant Tea Witch, Yesterday is introduced to a magical, walking teashop filled with fantastical customers, a flying teapot turtle called Pascal and powerful spells in every teacup! But a mysterious figure of darkness is working hard to ensure her magical new life comes crashing down - and it all starts with a deadly shard of ice in Yesterday's heart... Get your copy from Bookshop UK here. WHAT TO READ NEXT Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun by Tọlá Okogwu Illustrated by Brittany Jackson When Onyeka discovers she can control her hair with her mind, her mother quickly whisks her off to the Academy of the Sun, a school in Nigeria where Solari – children with superpowers – are trained. But Onyeka and her new friends at the Academy soon have to put their powers to the test as they find themselves caught up in an epic battle . . . one that puts the future of all Solari at risk. Get your copy from Bookshop UK here. WHAT TO READ NEXT The Thief Who Sang Storms by Sophie Anderson Illustrated by Joanna Lisowiec Magic is forbidden on the Island of Morovia, where humans live on one side, and the alkonosts - the bird-people - live on the other. When Linnet's father is captured for taking a precious jewel, Linnet must set out on a treacherous journey to save him. Linnet discovers something even more powerful than singing magic. Something that could save her father, and heal the broken heart of her island once more... Get your copy from Bookshop UK here. WHAT TO READ NEXT

Cover artwork by Holly Ovenden Interior illustrations by Ewa Beniak-Haremska This remarkable tale of chestnuts, catacombs, courage and an unbreakable bond between siblings is as unforgettable as the power of Piaf's extraordinary mind. A mesmerising, evocative, and highly original historical mystery, The Chestnut Roaster will dazzle and delight readers both young and old. It's 1888 and Paris is in the height of its "Beautiful Age", its Belle Époque. The city is abuzz with anticipation and prospect as the arrival of the spectacular world fair, the Exposition Universelle, creeps ever closer, like the rising of the great Eiffel Tower overhead. The disappearance of Rapiditus' Cabinet of Oils and several gifted children alongside it has seemingly floated away, like the sweet scent of warm chestnuts rising from little Piaf Durand's roaster on her corner on Rue du Dragon. When she discovers that everyone has forgotten the entire last year, 1887, Piaf and her twin brother Luc embark on a dangerous journey into the deadly depths of Paris’s underground twin, the Catacombs, to capture the memory thief and find the lost children, before everyone's memories are lost forever... This is definitely one book I won't be forgetting anytime soon! Eve's melding of acute historical detail and exquisite characterisation with a thrilling page-turning mystery is truly masterful. Like the great imaginations of Emma Carroll and A.M. Howell, Eve McDonnell writes historical fiction at its very best - a true literary extraordinaire. Ç'est magnifique! Remarquable! 5 étoiles! Read on for an unmissable insight into Eve's fearless protagonists, Piaf and Luc... WHAT TO READ NEXT Exploring The Chestnut Roaster Characters A Twin-Thing ‘There was a silence between Piaf and Luc, a silence Madame’s fraught whispers to Maman could not even penetrate. Piaf let him own it – she guessed he was figuring out how it must feel to be her, and she spent the moment trying to imagine how it felt to be him. Memory-full and memory-less, they were poles apart, yet together, sitting cross-legged on Luc’s bed.’ Piaf: Anyone who knows me knows that I have a passion for birds, so when a small and dishevelled chestnut roaster who was unable to sit still appeared in my mind, she was always going to be named after a bird! ‘Piaf’ means ‘little sparrow’ and little sparrows are those somewhat non-descript, chirping birds we often overlook at our feeders or in our garden hedges. Likewise, Piaf is often overlooked by passers-by at her chestnut roaster – ignored for her tiny size or shunned for her persistent need to fidget and flutter. Though undiagnosed in her time, Piaf is neurodiverse with symptoms of ADHD, her struggles compounded by a condition known as ‘hyperthymesia’ – the ability to remember her entire life’s events in brilliant detail. Her twin brother Luc describes this ability as a superpower, but to Piaf it is a life-long and social anxiety-building burden. Memories badger her persistently and she uses a form of stimming in the form of fidgeting, bird-like fluttering and sometimes counting out loud in an often-failed attempt to keep herself focused and attentive. Piaf’s encounters at her roaster have reduced her confidence to a seed and there she remains in the shadow of her brother Luc where she feels safe. During Piaf’s journey through the tale of The Chestnut Roaster she gains confidence by discovering that what matters is inside, and inside she is a giant. Luc: In complete contrast to Piaf’s lack of confidence and social anxiety, her twin brother Luc is a natural leader and successful chatter-upper at their roaster. He is also far taller than Piaf, and this alone acts as a magnet for anyone they encounter, ensuring little Piaf can remain hidden beneath his wing. But things are about to change. A terrible accident (or incident!) has left Luc with the inability to recall memories and each day when he awakes, he must start from scratch, using a list of twenty things to reintroduce himself to his life. Piaf likens him to finding a chestnut burr, cracking it open and finding nothing inside. But it is not all memories that are gone – he has the ability to recall anything learned such as the lyrics to a song or one of his own poems. Luckily, Luc is a bookworm and can draw on an encyclopaedia of memorised facts to help muddle his way through his days. It begs the question – how much of who we are is formed by our precious life experiences and our ability to remember them? Piaf clings desperately onto still-present snippets of her dear brother’s personality, from his need to correct people if they are wrong, delighting in his remembered poetry, and she empathises with his ongoing struggle with a sensory disorder. Though they might be different in so many ways, Piaf and Luc have shared every day of their lives, and they have a connection far, far deeper than memories alone – it’s a twin-thing, my own twins tell me, and I know precisely what they mean. Eve McDonnell The Chestnut Roaster is published by Everything With Words and out now. Eve McDonnell is a children's book writer and artist based in Wexford, Ireland. When her head is not stuck in a middle-grade story, she enjoys helping out at workshops and painting everything from rather grown-up pieces to children's murals. Her debut, Elsetime, won the the Wells Festival of Literature Children's Book Award and was shortlisted for the Awesome Book Award 2022. A big thank you to Mikka at Everything With Words for sending me a copy of The Chestnut Roaster, and for inviting me to be part of the blog tour.

"The stuff of nightmares" Arachnophobes beware! 🕷 This creepy, skin-crawling sci-fi horror will have even the entomologists of the group sweating with fear. Think, ‘The Breakfast Club’ meets ‘Stranger Things’ meets ‘Goosebumps’. Dread Wood is the stuff of nightmares. Jennifer Killick delivers all the frightfully fun trappings of the horror genre - creepy caretakers; chilling cliff-hangers; a claustrophobic, nowhere-to-hide atmosphere; terrifying scientific experiments that would rival the likes of Dr Wu; a literal Forbidden Forest; a gang of characters you can’t help but root for; and a very disturbing nursery rhyme.. (Why are the nursery rhymes always so damn creepy!) Thank goodness for all the hilarious one liners. Jennifer Killick always effortlessly nails the blending of horror and humour. Whilst there are a few plot holes in amongst all the trapdoors, Killick’s ability to cement her reader makes these passable. Her winning combination of chills, thrills, humour and heart always makes for a worthy success. Middle graders are going to inhale this! COLLECT THE SERIES WHAT TO READ NEXT

I'm thrilled to share this special interview with James Dixon to celebrate the publication of his debut children's novel, The Billow Maiden (Guppy Books, July 2022). We chat Norse mythology, mental health, writing advice and more! Congratulations on the publication of your debut children’s book James! For readers yet to discover The Billow Maiden (Guppy Books, July 2022), can you give us a little taste of what’s in store? Thank you very much! It all revolves around an ailing selkie and two young girls struggling with very different issues in their home lives. Ailsa, my protagonist, is staying with her aunt and uncle on a remote Scottish island. Her mum is sick and they are looking after her. There, she discovers a billow maiden - a mermaid or selkie-like creature, dying on land without her sea skin - and befriends Camilla, the daughter of a local gangster type. Together, Ailsa and Camilla have to save the billow maiden, digging into their own families’ pasts in the process. What was the original inspiration behind your story, and how did you go about bringing this to life? I’ve always loved Celtic, British, and Norse folklore, and always wanted to write about it. They are so wrapped up with the natural world, inseparable from it, that I think they are worth revisiting time and time again - now more than ever. I wanted to find a way to link the world’s health with some form of mythical, folkloric creature, which brought me to selkies. In fact, one of my original working titles for the novel was THE RISING TIDE. In looking into selkies and similar creatures, I rediscovered the billow maidens, sort of Nordic myth’s answer to mermaids. One of them is named Hefring, which means the rising tide! It was complete coincidence, but it put me on the right path. From then on, it was simply a case of developing the characters and finding the journey they would all go on together. Can you tell us a bit more about your setting in The Billow Maiden and your research process behind this? It’s a gestalt setting rather than a real island. Of course, though I make no mention of it, anybody reading The Billow Maiden who is familiar with the Scottish islands will recognise them within it. It is very much a Hebride - or a not-quite-Hebride. I’ve spent time on Skye, which really played into it. On a smaller scale, the island of Newport is just an hour or so’s journey from my home in Glasgow. Its rolling hills and lovely town are very much present in the setting, as is Ullapool far to the north, with its beautiful, old fashioned harbour. My wife and I stayed at a hotel in Stranraer as I was about to begin writing The Billow Maiden. It was a working lighthouse, stuck out on a craggy promontory, whose living quarters and outhouses had been converted into the hotel space. This went straight it - Camilla’s dad has just bought a lighthouse to convert into a hotel and she and Ailsa hole Hefring up in there whilst they work out how to save her. Going south, there is a lot of Cornwall in the book, too. I spent every summer as a child exploring the caves along the Cornish coast - it’s proper smugglers territory, very Poldark. I lifted them, plonked them in the Hebrides, and had Ailsa discover Hefring in one of them. What are your top three favourite book settings that you’ve read? For sense of place, I would go with Michael Morpurgo’s Kensuke’s Kingdom, David Almond’s The Colour of the Sun, and perhaps anything set in the Hundred Acre Wood, or maybe Farthing Wood. These aren’t backdrops to their stories. They are living, breathing characters, without whom something vital and irreplaceable would be lost. Were there any particular authors or books that were valuable to you when writing The Billow Maiden? I’ve mentioned David Almond once already. I’ll have to do so again. I had all the pieces there for The Billow Maiden - the characters, where I wanted them to go, what I wanted to happen, what I wanted to explore and bring out of them. I just didn’t quite know how to make it flow. Then I remembered two books - Skellig and Kit’s Wilderness. I had read them myself as a child - in fact, I was quite obsessed with them. I downloaded them onto my Kindle, reread them both, and thought ‘right, so that’s how you do it, OK.’ Everything sort of came together after that. Not to put myself on par with them, it’s just that I would encourage anybody looking to write a novel (any kind of novel, for any audience) to read them. They are each perfectly told, perfectly paced, beautiful, soulful books. The Billow Maiden is rooted in ancient Norse mythology. Can you tell us a bit more about Hefring’s backstory and why you decided to draw on her story in particular? I touched on this above, but really it sprang from my research into Selkies. Most mythological traditions have their own form of them - mermaids, sirens, billow maidens, and so on. The billow maidens are nine sisters of the sea, daughters of Ægir, a giant, and Rán, a goddess. They are atavistic, capricious, and thoroughly elemental. Each one is named after an aspect of the sea - as above, Hefring is named for the rising tide. The name was so perfect - it was my original working title, quite by happenstance - that I had to go with it. I’m not superstitious, and I don’t believe in fate or anything like that, but this was a good one… very much serendipity. I really admired your exploration of the natural world and the healing, transformative powers it harbours, both for Hefring’s and Alisa’s mum’s physical and mental recovery. Why was this important for you? Thank you very much. This was the motive for the entire story. I started from this theme, this seed, and built everything up from there. Firstly, I wanted to marry the idea of our own health and wellbeing to that of our natural environments’ - for obvious, very pressing reasons. Without the natural world thriving around us, there is no chance at health and happiness. Hefring was very much the avatar of this line of thought. Secondly, it’s a very personal story. I am bipolar, though I prefer the old-fashioned term manic depressive. Hence Ailsa’s mother and her journey - I make it very clear that her unnamed health condition is in large part mental, with depression crippling her periodically. I personally take great comfort from nature. I wrote this novel during covid lockdown, when my whole life seemed to be walking my dog in the woods. Ironically, given what the world was going through, I had never felt better. It was liberating, and I wanted to capture it in my story. What do you hope readers take away from your story? Honestly, I hope they enjoy it and find it beautiful. Anything on top of that is a plus. It’s about environmental awareness, mental health and wellbeing, and plenty more besides. But, after all, it’s just a story - if they enjoy it, if it lightens their life a little, then I’ll be very happy. The Billow Maiden is your debut children’s book and the winner of the Guppy Books 2021 Open Submission, what brought you into writing for children, and do you have any tips or advice for aspiring children’s writers? It’s my debut children’s book, but my second published novel. My first novel, The Unrivalled Transcendence of Willem J. Gyle was shortlisted for the 2018 Somerset Maugham Award by the Society of Authors. I went to the awards ceremony, of course, and got chatting to the compere for the evening - Philip Pullman. I came away from a good conversation with him full of enthusiasm to write for younger audiences! I would tell any children’s writer to not write for children. There should be limited differences to a story for children and one aimed at adults. Of course, there will be some no-go areas, and certain types of language you have to avoid (thanks to Bella at Guppy Books for helping me toe this line!) But it’s the same. Children demand a good story, emotional connection, and something with a bit of depth. They will know when they are being patronised, so don’t talk down to them. They can handle and understand far more than you might think. Write a novel, a good story, and the rest will follow. How did your story change and develop from your first draft to your finished draft, and what’s the greatest lesson you learnt from this? I had an unconventional route to publishing. I was unagented and Guppy only generally accept solicited manuscripts. However, they hold an Open Submissions competition each year. I entered The Billow Maiden in 2021 and was lucky enough to win. Because of this, I didn’t approach anyone with an idea, a plan, a first draft. It was 90% there when I sent it in. However, the final 10% was a very vital 10%. The ending was rubbish, the pacing was a little off, and some of my language use was age-inappropriate. Funnily enough, the ending is now one of the main bits of the book that I get praised on. This is entirely down to Bella at Guppy Books. She helped me to sort out the pacing. She told me what language I could and couldn’t get away with in a middle-grade book. And she and I played tennis with the ending for several months, changing, rewriting, fine-tuning, until it came out as it is now. I couldn’t have got it finished without Bella’s input. What's next for your writing journey? I’m currently in the final stages of my next middle-grade book. I can’t say much more, but me and my agent, Jenny Savil, are currently bouncing it back and forth, getting it ready for a final write up, and then for editors to look at. I’m also just beginning another novel aimed at adults - a literary gothic horror that shares a lot in common with The Billow Maiden’s setting. Let’s talk books! What’s a book you loved as a child, a book you’re loving reading now, and a book you can’t wait to read? I’ve mentioned a few - Kensuke’s Kingdom, Skellig and Kit’s Wilderness for middle-grade. I was also first generation Potter - I was seven when The Philosopher’s Stone came out. The nineties were a fantastic time for children’s books, with Philip Pullman and Malorie Blackman putting out some sublime work. I remember reading and rereading Pig Heart Boy with great enthusiasm. I also remember The Edge Chronicles very fondly - the illustration and imagination involved blew me away as a kid. I’ve recently had the pleasure of being introduced to Louisa Reid’s work, also published through Guppy. Reading Gloves Off, a story in verse, is one of the most enthralling, emotionally invigorating literary experiences I’ve had in a long time. I’m just writing my dissertation for a Masters in philosophy, as well as working on a couple of books myself, so don’t have too much time to read. There is an ever-growing stack next to my bed, and I can’t wait to submit my dissertation so I can jump into it. I’m particularly looking forward to getting into Beverley Birch’s Song Beneath the Tides, which looks like it will be an utterly beautiful read. If you could invite any five people - past and present, real and fictional - for a dinner party, who would you invite and why? I’d start with my wife. I’m not just sucking up - she’s a genuine laugh, gives me a massive confidence boost, and I always have a better time when she’s around! I’d probably invite a couple of my favourite writers, too - perhaps David Almond, perhaps Salmon Rushdie, perhaps Angela Carter. Maybe Kurt Vonnegut. There is also a ridiculously long roster of musicians I’d like to invite - too many to go through here, but I think it would be easy to fill those five seats. Maybe Lou Reed on one of his more sober evenings? James Dixon is a London-born, Glasgow-based novelist, poet, and playwright. His debut novel, The Unrivalled Transcendence of Willem J. Gyle (Thistle, 2017) was shortlisted for the 2018 Somerset Maugham Award by the Society of Authors. His debut play, It's My Turn, was performed as part of the 2019 Edinburgh Science Festival, aimed at younger audiences. The Billow Maiden is his first novel aimed at younger readers. Catch James on Twitter @James_D_Dixon The Billow Maiden, published by Guppy Books, is out now and available from Bookshop UK here.

To celebrate the paperback publication of Song Beneath the Tides (Guppy Books, July 2021) I had the absolute honour of chatting to author Beverley Birch about growing up in Africa, Swahili legends, writing tips and tiger lullabies! Your recent YA novel, Song Beneath the Tides (Guppy Books, 2021), is an absolutely extraordinary book which I truly loved. Set on the shores of Africa, Song Beneath the Tides is a combination of mystery, thriller, and romance. When and how did this idea first come about? Really, it’s been with me since I was 12. That’s when I first experienced the ancient Swahili ruins of Gede in Kenya. We were camped on a beach nearby, and rambled into a forest, a whole bunch of kids together, messing about, chattering. Then we stumbled on the ruins, and instantly were all spooked. The forest round it felt restless, agitated – flickering light through the tree canopy, rustling winds, a cacophony of bird and monkey cries, animal snufflings and shadow shapes sliding through broken walls and arches. A sudden silence, as if the place held its breath, waiting. Then tentative sounds starting up; a moment later that abrupt, blanketing silence again. So strange! I glimpsed the great strangler fig tree with aerial roots twisting to make a door through its centre, a stab of sunlight beyond, lighting a path. I remember thinking, ‘it’s a gate to another world’. The place stuck in my head, and of course I went back (you can too, it nestles in the glorious and unique Arabuko Sokoke forest). I went to other such ruins, found out as much as I could about them. Years later, the image of the door through the tree prompted my first novel The Keeper of the Gate: my characters time-travel back centuries to a fictional Gede called Kingwana. Fort Jesus in Mombasa was another teen experience. Hitch-hiking with a friend, we curled up between the cannons below the fort’s outer walls through a nervous night, eyeing the looming walls above. I knew of the fort’s turbulent and violent history! These two influences twisted about in my mind: I toyed with writing a sequel to The Keeper of the Gate. Instead other writing and other novels happened. Then, more recently, Song Beneath the Tides started shaping in my head, catapulting me on a sustained trip back down that memory lane and a long research journey. You spent a large part of your childhood in East Africa, what was it like living and growing up there? The first 18 years of my life were in Africa: we lived in a rural area 12 miles from Nairobi, beginning during the transition years from British colony to independent state. Everything was in flux, changing, not least attitudes in the former English colonial communities. But often not fast enough, in fact often they weren’t changing at all. Even as a young child I didn’t feel at home in that community, ill at ease with opinions I heard around me, though too young to make sense of that. You can imagine the tension between the demands of the new independent state and resistance to that from the old colonial communities. (I was able to martial it clearly in my head only when I came to university in England, and developed distance and political judgement.) As a youngster I didn’t come across many other kids or families that I connected with very easily. So I escaped, running a bit wild with my younger sister. My parents got hold of two wild ponies, tamed enough to accept us on their backs and not throw us too often (though I still broke my arm twice). It gave us enormous freedom: we explored plains, forests, villages within range of our home, talking to anyone who’d talk to us. With hindsight and perspective, of course I see that some of this was outlandishly intrusive on the local African communities – but I remember only amused indulgence, courtesy, curiosity towards us. Not a single instance of hostility or anger at these two white kids on horseback poking about being nosy. How much of an influence did this experience and your memories of Africa have in writing Song Beneath the Tides? They’re at the heart of it: in Europe we tend only to hear about the countries of Africa when terrible things happen: genocide, famine, political violence. My life there gave me a fierce desire to reflect the kind of people and place I knew, growing up. The modern characters all spring from my direct experience, all my encounters are ingredients in the brew of this story. So is my later dawn of political understanding. I wanted to explore that awakening – and at an emotional level – in a young person, through a relationship, beginning to ‘see’ it through someone else’s life. But also the place is hard-wired into all my senses: that intense quality of light, the sounds and scents and variety, vibrant colours, those vast, overwhelming landscapes and wildlife. It infuses all my writing, not just the books set in Africa. I tend to approach place as a character, live and sentient, communicating with the human characters. Also, novels from Africa that I began reading then and continue to read, from different authors across the continent, different countries, different traditions, different landscapes, different histories, resonate in my mind as I write, part of my fabric of memory and imagination. Despite your experience of growing up in Kenya, you set Song Beneath the Tides in a fictitious part of Africa, what was the decision behind this? I wanted to achieve verisimilitude and authenticity, but everything in the service of my invented story. I didn’t want to be bedevilled by accuracy in terms of real events or real forts or real politics of a particular country. Or by the necessity to bring in actual other peoples -there’s a tremendously varied population in a place like Kenya with different traditions and different ethnic languages even though they also share Swahili and English as official languages. By opting for a fictitious country I removed all of that because it isn’t the point of the story. The point of the story is this cultural encounter between these two children and a past and present link between an ancient legend and a small coastal village community today. Also I wanted to pick from real history, real locations but mix it at will to suit my story. So my research plucked inspiration from historical background the length and breadth of the eastern seaboard, not just Kenya’s coast. The sacred island Kisiri has great significance in Song Beneath the Tides and acts as the root between past and present. Is there any history or legend that inspired the creation of Kisiri? Overall, the book is fed by the real history of the Swahili stone ruins that litter East Africa’s coast and what happened when the first European ships (the Portuguese) arrived there just over 500 years ago. So both the legend of Bwana Fumo and Mwana Zawati and the mysterious ‘third voice’ diary which threads through Ally and Leli’s modern tale spring from a 200-year period when the Portuguese tried to grab control of the rich trading routes to the east. In 1498 an expedition under the command of Vasco da Gama first reached that coast (so 6 years after Columbus reached the Americas). They expected to find primitive, isolated communities. Instead, to their astonishment, there were prosperous Swahili city-states ruled by Kings or Sultans with a lucrative centuries-old trade across the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, Arabia and India. The Portuguese ‘explorers’ wanted that trade in gold, ambergris, ivory and slaves. They set about subjugating the Swahili cities, with a dual purpose: seize the trade, and turn these Islamic communities to Christianity. It’s a horrific tale: massacre, pillage, outright destruction of people and place. Of course it was usual then for conqueror to loot the conquered, but even contemporary Portuguese chroniclers condemned the savagery as shocking even by the violent standards of those centuries. The coastal people tried to survive by juggling both fierce resistance and treaties. They tried alliances between each other against the Portuguese, and with the Arabs of Oman, who had their own grievances and sailed down the east coast to help challenge the Portuguese invaders. Disillusioned Portuguese sailors and soldiers deserted the marauding ships and fled into the African settlements to join efforts to resist their own countrymen. Over the period, most of the Swahili towns went under, and after 200 years the Portuguese left behind not much more than destruction and some forts. Official records and reports from Portuguese commanders and chroniclers survive in museums and libraries in Portugal, East Africa and London, also letters, some from the Swahili kings to the king of Portugal, diaries, eye-witness accounts. Excavations in Swahili ruins like Gede and others add to the picture. Their palaces and courts, mosques, houses, wells, cisterns and conduits show how developed they were (more so than contemporary Europe). It was a rich mix to feed my legend and the mysterious diary in Song Beneath the Tides! I knew of the legendary Swahili hero, warrior and poet, Fumo Liyongo: it gave me the idea for my legendary characters Bwana Fumo and his friend, Mwana Zawati, though my legend is entirely made up: if anything, it draws on incidents in the historical documents. Kisiri is based on a number of real islands on the eastern seaboard, including those around Lamu, Kenya; some with ancient Swahili ruins, some now privately owned, some with hotels on them. The echoes of the past and the present are reinforced through your two narrators. Did you always intend for Song Beneath the Tides to have these two distinct voices? I didn’t start out to narrate from several points of view. I was focused on the awakening of Ally on her first visit to Africa, In fact I don’t think I ever actively make a decision about multiple narrators. I always start out thinking I’ll keep it simple, just write one person’s story. But the other narrators just appear and demand their own place! For example, I saw Leli originally from Ally’s point of view. But I began to hear his thoughts and voice, more and more insistently, demanding status as a full narrator. The mysterious historical voice was actually the very first one I heard. I was in a forest (outside Paris, a long way from Africa!) and I was thinking about Ally and then the other voice saying, ‘I have been to their deaths’ popped into my head. Up to that point I’d been planning Ally hearing about the history from somebody. So then I thought, well, maybe she could find a diary with that ‘voice’. And then I thought, ‘no, he’s going to be there from page 1’. And it just took off from there. Focusing on your present narrative, Kisiri is an island that’s threatened by modern development, tourism, and corruption. What do you hope readers take away from Song Beneath the Tides? I’d like them to be in Ally and Leli’s head, to see the predicament of Leli’s community (and other communities like it) from his point of view. A growth of awareness, of empathy. I want young people to be eager to find out about new countries and absorb the richness of culture and place. But I also want them to see that thoughtless travel, selfish travel, can bring with it unforeseen consequences including complete destruction of the way of life of the people you visit. The Portuguese historical story was that: we may recognise the extraordinary feats of navigation and bravery in those early pioneer explorations. But it shouldn’t mask that those ventures were fuelled by greed and the desire to seize land and its resources for their own benefit, regardless of theft, destruction, and murder involved. One aspect of the modern version of this plunder is that peaceful, purposeful communities, unspoiled beaches and reefs are overrun by massive hotel building projects designed for the traveller. It happens all over the world: a short internet search finds plenty of examples of land-grabbing by business interests, court cases brought by people fighting to protect sacred sites from seizure for tourism, mining or other business interest. Always, of course, ignoring the rights of people whose territory is seized and livelihoods threatened. I’d like readers to ‘see’ through the eyes of people buffeted by this and fighting the attack on their way of life. Did you face any particular challenges during your writing process? And how was it having a book published during lockdown? The story had been with me for so long, I knew where I wanted to go. There was the usual challenge that any writer faces in any story, of achieving on paper what you have in your head. Some particular challenges in juggling my multiple narrators, and in weaving the history and modern story together, keeping the pace of both going, not allowing either one to intrude or undermine readers’ interest in the other. It’s a complex weave, but the end goal is to make it an uncomplicated read. Big challenge! Lockdown publication – very strange: the book was launched right at the beginning. Normally publication would be followed by meeting and talking to readers, particularly going in to schools. All authors with new books coming out had a frantic rush to move what would have been live dialogue online. There was a very supportive response from the book community to all of us in that boat, so online launches were enthusiastically ‘attended’. But inevitably getting the book into the hands of readers was difficult, and there was none of the browsing take-up through bookshops that you’d normally get. But compared to the horror and disaster of the virus and what many people were going through across the world, I didn’t feel it was something I could legitimately get too wound up about! As well as being a writer, you’ve also been a publisher and editor, what advice/tips can you give to aspiring writers? Trust your subconscious. Give it time and space. It’s easy to be so seduced by ‘how to write’ tips and technical advice on planning and plotting, being clear about your idea, that you treat this most precious of ingredients as an intruder making your head untidy when you’ve organised your game-plan neatly. But writing is about playing and exploring. Our uniqueness, our individual reservoir of memory, experience and perception hides in our subconscious, rising to the surface in dreams, reactions, emotions, and even stray thoughts, ideas, images floating to mind often when we’re doing something mundane. Treasure it! It’s the spark that propels you forward with something unique, that’s YOU, possibly offering a nugget, or the key to unlock your plotting puzzle. So, let the subconscious intrude whenever it wants! Your novels have been set all over the world, including Scotland and Italy. As a writer, does travelling have a big impact on your writing? Yes, ‘place and its people’ have figured large in my previous novels too – Rift, Sea Hawk Sea Moon, The Keeper of the Gate, The Night of the Fire Lilies. The lens I peer through is the outsider learning to see, hear, smell, feel a place differently from their first perception: peeling back the layers. I suppose it’s partly because I write for youngsters not yet able to take off and investigate – I want to let them try on other lives, other thoughts and emotions, have a look through other’s eyes – it’s after all what any fiction is about, but I think it’s a conscious purpose in my stories, fuelled by my own journeys into new places. What’s next for your writing journey? I’m landing much closer to home. I don’t want to say too much at this point, it’s still brewing. I will say that I vowed to myself that I’d write something much simpler in structure, but I can already feel the multiple voices clustering … I’m preparing to do battle with them and beat them back! What’s the last ‘armchair travel’ book you read? Nikki Marmery’s On Wilder Seas, a fascinating narrative imagining the life of a real enslaved black woman on Francis Drake’s Golden Hind on his circumnavigation voyage in 1579. Let’s talk books! What’s a book you loved as a child, a book you’re loving reading now, and a book you can’t wait to read? As a child, My Friend Flicka by Mary O’Hara– my childhood freedom was based on my pony! Now – can I have two, very different? Wrecked by Louisa Reid and Bone Talk by Candy Gourlay. Eagerly about to read Cane Warriors by Alex Wheatle. I’d read every new book by these last 3 writers. If you could invite any five people – past and present, real and fictional – who would you invite and why? Ngugi wa Thiong’o: I started reading his books in my teens and he transformed my understanding of the country I lived in. Mary Leakey: pioneer in palaeontology and behind some of the ground-breaking finds about our human origins in Africa. Louis Braille: aged thirteen in the early 1800s, inventing braille, an international alphabet read by touch – transforming the lives of people with impaired sight. Mary Shelley: her myriad preoccupations with science and philosophy infuse Frankenstein, written when she was only a teenager – fascinating! Finally, Shakespeare – I’ve had to think about him a lot, first when I wrote my retellings, and now there’s a link with my next novel. I’m awestruck that a single intellect can write so much that sustains relevance for us over 400 years later. Finally, we’d love to know three random and/or interesting facts about yourself! 1. As a child, in bed, I regularly fell asleep listening to a leopard circling the house, breathing under my window. It came close every night when the lights went out. Bizarrely, I found the sound comforting, like the patter of rain on the roof! 2. I once spent a night (with a friend) in a tiny tent on a river bank in the middle of a herd of elephants milling about. I didn’t know! I didn’t wake once, and only discovered when we crawled out in the morning and toppled into a large muddy hole. Then we realised there were lots more holes, and why – a hundred yards along the bank the bank the herd was still there, ignoring us, still making holes as their huge feet sank into the mud. 3. I have a tiny old tower on top of my flat now: windows on all sides, and just enough room for some chairs. To north and east you look over a wooded valley, to south and west over the city to the masts of boats on the river and the bulk of container ships in the docks. It’s a magical place to sit and dream up stories and journeys! Beverley Birch spent her childhood roaming vast plains and deep forests near her home in East Africa, dreaming of becoming an intrepid explorer in fantastic, far-away places. Instead she became a writer, and explores people and places through her books. Her novels range over time-travel, mystery-thrillers, ghost stories, and adventures and are set in Italy, Scotland and East Africa. She also writes picture books, biographies, narrative non-fiction, retellings of folk tales and classic works, and collaborations with her husband, photographer Nick Birch. Critically acclaimed, and translated into more than a dozen languages, she has been nominated for the Carnegie medal, and shortlisted for awards here and abroad. beverleybirch.co.uk | @bevbirchauthor Song Beneath the Tides is published by Guppy Books, April 2020.

Magic, myth and an eerie marshland…! Best-selling children's author Lucy Strange and I chat all about Lucy's fourth book, Sisters of the Lost Marsh, and the atmospheric UK setting that inspired it, our favourite folk tales and the ultimate dinner party guest list. What was the original inspiration behind Sisters of the Lost Marsh, and why was writing this book important to you? There were a few different sources of inspiration for this story – an odd and wonderful little poem by Harold Monro called Overheard on a Saltmarsh, and also the landscape of the Romney Marsh not far from where I live in Kent. I also wanted the challenge of creating convincing sibling relationships between sisters, and to explore the idea of young characters shaping their own destiny. Can you tell us a bit more about your setting in the Sisters of the Lost Marsh? The landscape of the Lost Marsh in the story is inspired by the Romney Marsh in the south east of England. It’s a vast, flat landscape that was owned by the sea for millennia. It has a sort of eerie magic to it – I always feel like there are stories living here in the very earth. From the lush Dover coast to the heart of the Lake District and now the chilling marshlands, your books’ locations and landscapes are at the heart of all your stories. Why is this important to you? I think the setting is so important in grounding a story in reality, so that everything feels absolutely real and the reader can be immersed in a completely convincing world. This then means that those supernatural elements I like to play with feel all the more spooky and weird. I also think settings can act like characters in themselves, shaping the whole tone of the story and even influencing the action at times – for example when Willa has to cross the treacherous mire… For readers wanting to travel in your literary footsteps, do you have any local/national hotspots that have inspired your writing? So far, the north Norfolk coast, the cliffs of Dover, the Lake District and the Romney Marsh. I’m currently working on an idea for a story set on a Scottish island, but I can’t tell you any more about that yet! What are your top three favourite children’s book settings? I love the isolation of Misselthwaite Manor in Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden, and the vast emptiness of the Yorkshire moorland that the surrounds the house. I’m currently reading The Enchanted Wood to my little boy and I have to say the home of Enid Blyton’s Faraway Tree is always going to be one of my most loved literary landscapes. From contemporary children’s literature, I absolutely love the rugged islands and windswept seas of Nicholas Bowling’s Song of the Far Isles. The Sisters of the Lost Marsh is also rooted in ancient tales and superstitions. Did you take inspiration from any particular folk and fairy tales when writing Willa’s story? The idea of a will-o’-the-wisp is probably the most important bit of folk lore that found its way into the story – those spontaneously igniting bubbles of methane that for centuries were said to be the lanterns of wicked faery folk luring lost souls out into a bog or marsh… Do you have a favourite folk/fairy tale? So many it’s hard to pin one down. The Grimm Brothers’ Six Swans or The Seven Ravens are both to do with siblings and curses and so connect to the plight of the sisters in my story. The story of Rumpelstiltskin is one that I find myself coming back to – the idea of a cruel, greedy and cunning supernatural character. He cropped up in my first book The Secret of Nightingale Wood and I think he’s here again in Sisters of the Lost Marsh in the guise of the Marsh King. What are some of your favourite children’s books that draw on lores and legends? I love the way Sophie Anderson uses Slavic folk lore in her work, particularly her debut novel The House with Chicken Legs. A Girl Called Owl by Amy Wilson is a beautifully written magical retelling of Jack Frost mythology. I think the fairy tale landscape of an eternal winter conjured by Kiran Millwood Hargrave in The Way Past Winter is just bewitching. If you could spend the day with the six sisters in the 21st century, what would you plan? If it could be in the world of the story, I would want it to be a summer’s day, and we would be lying in the sunshine on Glorious Hill. The triplets would be rolling down the hill and scampering back up again, and we would all eat huffkins and jam. If they were here in the modern world? I don’t know – they’re all so different, they’d want to do completely different things! I’d definitely take Willa to the sea, and I’d take Grace to the theatre to see a ballet, I think. At the heart your book is a tale of sisterhood, strength and solidarity. What do you hope readers take away from the Sisters of the Lost Marsh? Certainly the idea of not being “druv”. The Curse of Six Daughters is horribly controlling for Willa and her sisters – all their “choices already chosen.” I think it’s so important for young people to be confident enough to resist the pressures exerted on them by society – to be like this or look like that. The story is very much about finding your own path and shaping your own destiny. On top of the launch of the Sisters of the Lost Marsh, you’ve also celebrated your fifth publication, The Mermaid in the Millpond (Barrington Stoke, 2022). What originally brought you into writing for children? And what do you enjoy most about writing for this audience? When I first started writing for children, I was working as a secondary school English teacher, and I wanted to create really rich and rewarding stories for the children I was teaching; challenging, multi-layered stories that didn’t underestimate their intellect or understanding of human nature. I wanted to create stories that evoked the classic children’s literature of the past but which felt relevant and accessible to today’s young readers. I love visiting schools now and talking to students about books – I always find it so energising and inspiring. We’re all restless to know, what’s next for your writing journey? What’s next is my fifth book for Chicken House! I can’t tell you much about it yet, other than the fact that it’s written on a remote Scottish island… Let’s talk books! What’s a book you loved as a child, a book you’re loving reading now, and a book you can’t wait to read? As a child – The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (I used to have it on audiobook and listened to it every night as I fell asleep!). A book I love now - The Skylarks’ War by Hilary McKay, and its sequel Swallows’ Flight – both such beautiful, heart-breaking and heart-warming stories; I think her writing is just completely brilliant. And I can’t wait to read the spooky new bit of historical fiction from Dan Smith – Nisha’s War. If you could invite any five people – past and present, real and fictional – for a dinner party, who would you invite and why? I’m going with some of my favourite authors here I think… Frances Hodgson Burnett, Daphne Du Maurier, Emily Bronte, Agatha Christie and Jane Austen. We’d have a brilliant evening and probably end up talking about anything and everything except books! Lucy Strange is a best-selling and award-winning author who lives in the heart of the Kent countryside with her partner and their young son. Lucy’s books capture elements of classic children’s literature in a style that is engaging and accessible for today’s younger readers. Often inspired by folklore and fairy tales, Lucy combines historical settings with touches of magical realism and fantasy to create utterly convincing worlds in which anything might happen… lucystrange.org | @theLucyStrange Sisters of the Lost Marsh is published by Chicken House, November 2021.

Snot, slime and swampfish sandwiches..! To celebrate the launch of the spectacularly silly SMALL!, Hannah Moffatt and I chat all about the inspiration behind the wonderful Harvey Small, our strangest google searches, debut author advice, the ultimate dinner party guest list and more! SMALL!, published by Everything With Word, is out 16th June 2022 and available from Bookshop UK here. Congratulations on the publication of your debut children’s book SMALL! (Everything With Words, 2022) Hannah! For any readers yet to embark on your giant adventure, can you give us a little taste of what’s in store? ​​Thank you! And, of course. When poor Harvey has a run of bad luck at the local schools, his mum pops him on a pair of stilts and packs him off to the only place that will take him: Madame Bogbrush’s School for Gifted Giants. But Harvey’s not a giant – and if his classmates find out they’ll stomp him into a pancake. The story follows Harvey’s adventures as he attempts to fit in, make friends and eventually learn that when things go wrong (like his parents’ divorce) they’re not his fault. What was the original inspiration behind your story, and how did you go about bringing this to life? It came from a prompt in a City Lit writing class to create a scene set in an unusual school. The image of a small boy eating soup from a bowl as big as a bathtub popped into my head and Harvey Small was born. I started writing Small! while I was in a City Lit critique group, so I got plenty of feedback from other writers to help the story on its way. Were there any particular authors or books that were valuable to you when writing SMALL!? I always say Neil Gaiman for overall motivation. It was his Make Good Art speech that pushed me to join a City Lit writing class in the first place. And whenever I felt my writing energy ebbing, I’d watch the speech again! [Watch Neil Gaiman's Make Good Art speech here, or read the transcribed version here.] You spend your days working as a Creative Director at a language and behavioural science consultancy, how did you manage your writing process alongside this? I’m lucky enough to work part-time. I spend half the week doing my grown-up job and the other half writing stories. What was the strangest thing you google searched when writing SMALL!? Ooh, I’m not sure! I know I searched lots of things to do with scale. Like the height of buses and tower blocks and monuments that I might compare the giants to. Underneath all the snot, slime and swampfish sandwiches is a big-hearted, hopeful tale of friendship, courage and acceptance. Why was writing this story important to you and what do you hope readers take away from it? I think we all need a bit of hope right now. It’s especially easy for children to blame themselves for things that are out of their control. So I hope the ‘it’s not your fault’ message will hit home. I hope readers will take heart from Harvey’s journey and the relationship he builds with the giants, too. It’s a reminder to think twice about judging others before you’ve trudged a mile in their stomping boots. The ending of SMALL! hints at a future fang-tastic adventure..! Can you give us a little inside scoop of what’s next to come in your writing journey? I don’t want to say too much. But I think there’s a lot more Stinking Sinking Swamp for Harvey and his friends to explore. And yes, a visit to the vampire school could well be next! As a debut author, do you have any tips or advice for aspiring children’s writers? If you’re not in one already, join a writing group. I met some brilliant writers on my City Lit course. We still cheer each other on (and share critical feedback) now. Let’s talk books! What’s a book you loved as a child, a book you’re loving reading now, and a book you can’t wait to read? I got into Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series as a teen – the first one I read was Equal Rites and I was instantly hooked with Pratchett’s clever, funny, well-observed writing. I’m currently loving Alex Evelyn’s The Secret Wild. It’s so inventive. Her alternative giant-plant-filled London is fabulous!. And there are SO many books I can’t wait to read - especially from fellow 2022 debuts. Next on my list is Fiona Longmuir’s Looking for Emily. Her pitch about finding a mysterious museum dedicated to one seemingly ordinary girl really intrigues me. Hannah's Booklist If you could invite any five people – past and present, real and fictional – to a dinner party, who would you invite and why? Another tough question! Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett would top the list. I’d love to listen to them catching up and chatting about their ideas. Tim Minchin definitely gets a seat at the table, too. Partly because I’m a big fan but also to give me a chance to pitch Small! The Musical! It would be fun to meet Victoria Wood for more musical comedy genius. Maybe she could help Tim plan the musical! And finally, I wouldn’t want my husband, Nick, to miss out. He makes a mean roast potato, so he’d be on chef duty to cook up a delicious dinner party feast! Hannah Moffatt is a creative director at a language and behavioural science consultancy, where she spends her days writing very sensible things for businesses. At night, she escapes into the beautifully bonkers world of middle grade fiction, where she writes significantly less sensible things for children. Hannah lives in London with her husband and a sombrero-wearing toy hedgehog named Cedric. Visit Hannah's website here or say hello on Twitter @MissDePlume. SMALL! is published by Everything With Word, June 2022.

Congratulations Nizrana on the publication of The Boy Who Met a Whale (Nosy Crow, January 2021 and Peachtree, Feburary 2022)! What was the original inspiration behind your new book? Thank you! I came to this book after writing The Girl Who Stole an Elephant, so I was trying to think of an animal that was comparable in some way to join the children on their adventure. Since elephants are the largest land animals I thought of the ocean and the largest sea animal. That’s how Maalu the blue whale was born. I’ve lived by the sea all my life until I moved to the UK, so it felt like a great place to go back to through my book. What was your favourite part about writing The Boy Who Met a Whale, and what was the most challenging? The entire book was challenging! Second books are famously hard to write, and mine was no exception. Each draft was a completely different story. Everything fell into place right at the very end only, so I was on my toes throughout. My favourite part to write was the scene where the main character and his sister meet the whale for the first time. I felt its magnificence as I wrote, and it gives me the chills just thinking about it. I’ve been so lucky to have actually met a whale myself! I had the honour of meeting a magnificent humpback whale and her baby just off the coastline of Byron Bay, Australia, and it was one of the most breathtaking, awe-inspiring moments of my life. I’d love to know, have you ever met a whale? The photo of your whale is stunning. They’re such spectacular creatures aren’t they? Unfortunately I haven’t had as good a look. I’ve seen plenty of dolphins but the whales were more elusive and I’ve only had glimpses. The ocean is such a mysterious and amazing place anyway. But during the writing of this book I lived vicariously through other people’s videos! Your writing is heavily rooted in the wonders of the natural world, from the hatching of tiny turtle eggs to swimming in the shadow of a gentle blue whale. How much of an impact do you think storytelling for children can have on protecting and preserving the environment? I think it can have a huge impact. You’re right, I have tried to convey the wonders of the natural world in the telling of this story. There are no messages about protecting the environment, but seeing the beauty and grandeur of nature is the first step to wanting to preserve it forever. What do you hope readers take away from The Boy Who Met a Whale? First and foremost, I hope they feel like they were on an ocean adventure with a huge blue whale! I write primarily for the escapism, and that’s what I want my readers to feel. Everything else is a bonus. I hope they experience a part of the world they may not know much about and see the beauty of the sea and its creatures. Where and what do you envision Razi, Shifa and Zheng getting up to in the future? I think Razi grows up to join Zheng on his adventures at sea, but eventually comes back home to where he felt he always belonged. Shifa would of course grow up to be a famed medicine woman, and Zheng would continue to have his very-exciting-but-not-quite-100%-true adventures, rising from ship’s boy to captain of his own ship. Are you more like Chaya (from The Girl Who Stole an Elephant) or Shifa (from A Boy Who Met a Whale)? Great question! I think I’m a bit of both. I do have some doggedness when it comes to getting something I want. Being published is a test of perseverance after all! Happily, I didn’t have the kind of challenges Chaya had to overcome. Like Shifa, I’m the pragmatic one, and judge things based on evidence. Both The Boy Who Met a Whale and your debut, The Girl Who Stole an Elephant, are both set on the stunning shores of Serendib, a fictional island inspired by your home country Sri Lanka. How easy is it bringing Sri Lanka to life on the page, and has travelling always had a big impact on your writing? Bringing Serendib to the page is the easiest part of the writing process for me. I wish everything about writing could be that easy! I think making it a fictional version of Sri Lanka meant that I could have the best of both worlds. I could write in my observations and experiences and make the rest up. I think travelling does have some impact on my writing. The idea for the turtles originally came from a trip to Egypt. We were waiting to board a plane in Marsa Alam airport and there was a massive turtle scene on the wall. I was mesmerised by that turtle and I stole it (metaphorically!) to put in my book. That’s how Razi came to be watching baby turtles on the beach when he met Zheng. What’s one of your favourite memories from growing up in Sri Lanka? My best memories are the ones with my cousins. I grew up in a very large extended family and I had a lot of company and friendship through my cousins. It was like having a whole other set of friends out of school. I have 36 first cousins. The memories that stand out are the trips we went on together, and also occasions like Eid. Have you always wanted to write children’s books, and what gravitates you to writing action-packed adventure stories rooted in the natural world? I feel like I came to it quite by accident. What I intended to write was cosy mystery stories. Something like Enid Blyton’s Five Find-Outers. But what I ended up writing is more Famous Five than Find-Outers. Once I was writing my first adventure (The Girl Who Stole an Elephant) I thought it was a very exciting thing and wanted to stay there. The plan is to have four Serendib adventures! So you now have two gorgeous books under your belt and a master’s degree in writing for young children. Do you have any tips or advice for aspiring children’s writers? My biggest tip is to read a lot. There’s nothing better you can do for your writing than reading. It gives you inspiration, it shows you how other people do it, it teaches you about plotting and structure, and it gives you enjoyment. And, of course, keep writing. Never give up. What’s next for your writing journey? Will readers get to return to Serendib once again? Yes they will! In fact, they’ll get to return twice. My next book is out in April 2022 and it’ll be another Serendib adventure. And then there’s the last one in 2024. You can expect a cameo or two! Let's talk books! What’s a book you loved as a child, a book you love now and a book you can’t wait to read? A book I loved as a child is Five Go to Smugglers Top by Enid Blyton. There’s so much atmosphere in it, I absolutely loved it. A book I love now is Boy, Everywhere by A. M. Dassu. It’s a harrowing read sometimes but it’s important and it ends with hope. A book I can’t wait to read is The Lost Whale by Hannah Gold. I loved her first book about a polar bear and I’m so impatient for this one. Nizrana's Booklist If you were stranded on a desert island and could only bring one thing with you, what would you bring and why? Assuming I can’t bring family, a stash of KitKats. It’ll probably get tedious eating the limited food on the island so a bit of chocolate would be nice. If you could invite any five people – past and present, real and fictional – to a dinner party, who would you invite and why? Enid Blyton, because I’m fascinated by her and can’t figure her out as a person from what I’ve read. Muhammad Ali, because he was so interesting and articulate and confident. Zheng from The Boy Who Met a Whale, because I’d like to see him speak. George Michael, to hear his voice. And Professor McGonagall, because she seems so enigmatic. "The Boy Who Met a Whale is adventuring at its absolute best – dazzling, daring and deliciously dramatic, it’s the perfect rival to the great literary classics Treasure Island, The Famous Five and Swallows and Amazons." Read my full review of The Boy Who Met a Whale here. Nizrana Farook was born and raised in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and the beautiful landscapes of her home country find their way into the stories she writes. She has a master’s degree in writing for young people, and lives in Hertfordshire with her husband and two daughters. Her debut, The Girl Who Stole an Elephant, was Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month for January 2020. The book was shortlisted for the inaugural Joan Aiken Future Classics prize. For more information about Nizrana and her books visit her website at nizranafarook.com/ or follow her on Twitter @NizRite and Instagram @nizrite.

A beautiful weaving of ancient Norse mythology with a moving, modern-day tale of family, friendship and healing, set against an evocative, remote Scottish island landscape that will well and truly sweep you away. From a remarkable new talent and winner of the inaugural Guppy Books MG open submission competition, James Dixon's debut novel is a forceful storm of a book. Deeply heartfelt and blazingly beautiful, The Billow Maiden flickers with a rich and immersive magic, reminiscent of the likes of Catherine Doyle and Kiran Millwood-Hargrave. But Dixon's tender exploration of the healing, transformative power and purpose of the natural world is perhaps the greatest magic of all. Tamsin Rosewell's stunning artwork just brings it to a whole other level. This is the kind of book that you will want to have on your shelves. WHAT TO READ NEXT

When I first read Naomi and James Jones' debut picture book, The Perfect Fit, I knew this superstar duo would become a firm favourite amongst children, parents, booksellers, reviewers and educators alike. In fact, the charming cast of shapes have travelled world and been translated into over 10 languages! Now, back with a new shape-tastic adventure, One More Try tells the story of a determined circle, who's dream of making a tower isn't as easy as it first appears. But through perseverance and imagination, can circle and shapes work together to create a tower that includes everyone? There's so much fun to be had within the pages of this book! This joyous story, layered with positive affirmations of individuality, inclusion and imagination, with a seamless blend of EYFS maths and shape recognition, makes for an instant hit. It's a testament of Naomi's writing to see how the shapes have grown since The Perfect Fit. Having learnt to be more inclusive and accepting of each shape and size, the shape squad face a new problem-solving challenge and with it come to understand the importance of resilience, dedication and cooperation. I love this world of shapes Naomi and James have created and I'm excited to see lots more of these shape stories in the future. IF YOU LOVED THIS, TRY Read my full review of The Perfect Fit here. "Delightfully playful, endlessly entertaining, and oh so satisfying"