Following
the recent announcement of her US book deal, I caught up with Middle Grade
author, Sinéad O’ Hart to talk about bookish things (and purple footwear!).
KF: Welcome,
Sinéad O' Hart, and thank you for doing this interview for Middle Grade Strikes
Back. Can I begin by asking you about your early memories of stories or
books or reading? What did you read as a child?
SOH: Hello,
and thank you for having me here on Middle Grade Strikes Back! My early
memories of books, stories and reading revolve around my parents, who read to
my brother and me from our earliest days. I learned to read very early,
prompting my parents to set me 'tests' to check whether I was actually reading,
or simply memorising, which (naturally) I passed with flying colours. I had a
wonderful teacher in primary school who spotted how much I loved reading and
writing, and who gave me 'creative writing' projects to challenge and stretch
me. It was extra homework, but I never minded! As a child, I'd read anything
which stayed still long enough: newspapers, cereal packets, instruction
manuals, roadsigns, and of course books, which our house was full of. I adored
the Childcraft encyclopedia, and one of my favourite books was about Halley's
Comet, which appeared in the sky when I was a small child. I loved The Faraway Tree and the Noddy books, and later the stories of Malory
Towers and St Clare's, and I loved The
Twits, James and the Giant Peach, and
of course Willy Wonka and the
Chocolate Factory - in fact,
anything by Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton! I also loved anything about history and
folklore, particularly the books of Michael Scott; I adored stories about
Vikings, which is a love I still have. The most significant book I've ever read
in my life was Alan Garner's Elidor,
which I read when I was eight; I've never been the same since.
KF: Can
you remember anything about these early "creative writing" projects?
SOH: My
early writing projects were exercises in plagiarism. I think a lot of writers
start out that way! I wrote 'homages', shall we say, to books I loved, without
a care in the world as to copyright or originality. The first story I really
remember writing was a sequel to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince, complete
with illustrations (which I copied directly from the original book!); I wrote
this masterpiece when I was about seven. I think it was four pages long and
came to an abrupt end when I ran out of plot (a problem I still have, sadly). I
also started writing a diary because Anne Frank, whose diary I read at age
eight, had kept one, and as a result my efforts at chronicling my daily life
were often a bit overwritten and dramatic due to the influence of my particular
edition of Diary of a Young
Girl. I also recall a
laboriously plotted 'series' entitled Grass
Valley High, which was a total ripoff of Sweet
Valley High - I even went to
the trouble of drawing my own maps in an effort to create a fresh story world,
but it never really worked. It took a long, long time for me to shake off this
tendency to copy others, but it's a good way to learn how to write. I'm just
glad none of my early efforts are still lying around at home!
KF: Cool!
As you ventured into your teens, did this love of writing continue? When
did you know you wanted to be a writer?
SOH: I
knew from around the age of eleven or twelve that I wanted a creative life and
career - not necessarily writing, but something artistic. I love to draw, too,
and I originally planned a career as a visual artist, but over the years that
desire faded as my love for stories grew. In my teens I wrote a lot of
(terrible) poetry, and for whatever reason I didn't focus as much on writing
prose; I preferred to read instead, soaking up as many books as I could
(something I still do, and something I feel is vitally important for anyone who
wants to write). As my school life came to a close and college began, I got
back into writing stories, and when I was twenty I wrote my first children's
book. It was terrible. But
I wrote it, and I finished it, and that sense of accomplishment stayed with me
for a long time, even when the realities of life and career meant I didn't
write again for many years. My love for children's books and MG stories began
to bloom then, and has never gone away - thank goodness!
KF: What
children's book(s) has had the biggest impact/influence on you?
SOH: Definitely
Alan Garner's 'Elidor', as well as his other novels 'The Weirdstone of
Brisingamen', 'The Moon of Gomrath' and 'The Owl Service'. I also loved, and
had my mind opened by, Madeleine l'Engle's 'A Wrinkle in Time', and I adored
the strangeness of Norton Juster's 'The Phantom Tollbooth'. As well as these, I
love 'The Little Prince' with a passion bordering on obsession! All these books
helped to shape me as a reader and a person, and I read them all between the
ages of eight and twelve.
KF: Before
we talk about your forthcoming book, can you tell us a little about your
journey to publication.
SOH: The
book with which I got my publishing deal was the third book I'd actually
completed (fourth, if you count that I'd written one of the other books twice!)
It took me almost exactly a year to gain the representation of an agent, and I
had a slightly unusual route to signing with her. I queried her with all the
books I'd written, one after another, gradually building up a professional
relationship and a sense of mutual trust. I queried other agents, too, of
course, but this pre-existing relationship meant that when it came to choosing
an agent (as several people were interested in signing me, by the end) I really
only had one choice. Polly thought I had potential from the beginning, but it
took the third manuscript (which became The
Eye of the North) for her to be sure she wanted to sign me. When she did
take me on as a client, we worked hard together on editing The Eye of the North before beginning the submissions
process, and very quickly it sold in the United States and Canada. We haven't
yet been successful in gaining a publishing deal for the UK and Commonwealth
market, but we're hopeful that will happen during the course of 2015. If I
could sum up my publication journey in one word, it would be persistence! Never give up. You
will find the story and the deal for you, so long as you keep writing.
KF: You
must be so excited about the launch of your début novel. What can you
tell us about The Eye of the
North?
SOH: The
Eye of the North is
a standalone Middle Grade fantasy adventure story about a girl named Emmeline
Widget who lives in a big, crumbly old house with her scientist parents (when
they're not away at conferences or exploring remote parts of the world, that
is), her butler, Watt, and the housekeeper, Mrs Mitchell. She is careful and
cautious and suspicious of everyone and everything, so when she receives a
letter one day telling her that her parents are dead and she is to be shipped
off to Paris to live with strangers, she smells a rat right away. On board the
ship to France she meets a strange boy with no name (he calls himself Thing,
for want of anything better!) who manages to accidentally rescue her from being
kidnapped. Then, however, just as they think they're safe, the kidnappers
strike again. Emmeline is taken, right from under Thing's nose, and he, along
with some new allies, immediately sets off to find her. Their journey takes
them into the heart of the frozen North, where an ancient and terrifying
Creature, with the power to destroy the world, lies sleeping - a Creature which
cannot be awoken without Emmeline. Who has taken Emmeline, and why? And can she
and Thing stop the Creature from being awakened before it's too late?
The Eye of the
North is set for
publication by Knopf Children's Books in the US and Canada in late 2016. I'm
really looking forward to seeing a printed copy in my hands!
KF: Wow!
The book sounds amazing. I can't wait to read it. As a fellow
writer, I'm always interested in how, when and where other authors write.
Do you have a routine, a special room/pencil/furry pair of slippers etc?
That sort of thing...
SOH: I
have converted the smallest bedroom in my house into an 'office'; it's tiny,
overcrowded and woefully messy, but it's where my writing happens. I blog three
days a week, so I begin my writing day by looking after that. Then, I pick up
from wherever I left off on my last writing day! It's as simple and hard as
that. I start early and work for as long as I can, and then it's time for a
walk, or housework, or a change of scenery. I don't have a favourite writing
pen, but I do have a fabulous pair of furry purple slippers. (Actually, I think
they're the brains behind my stories!)
KF: Now
that you're a soon to be published author, what advice would you give to other
aspiring authors (apart from the furry purple slippers)?
SOH: The
best advice I could give any aspiring author is to read, widely and with an
enquiring mind. Read within your own 'genre' and outside it, too, always with
an eye to learning how a story works, how it's put together and why it works
(or doesn't, as the case may be). Write as much as you can, as often as you
can, and write primarily for yourself - write the stories you love, which mean
something to you, and enjoy it as much as possible. (Remember to take breaks:
sometimes, not writing is important, too!) Finish what you start, and always
leave time between finishing a draft and revising it. (Always revise; nobody's
first drafts are publishable!) I'd also counsel bravery. Sending your work to
agents and publishers can be terrifying, but take the chance. They're looking
for people like you! Take heart, and don't take it personally when you're
rejected. Every rejection will teach you something, and will always be
worthwhile. And finally: keep going until you hear a 'yes'. If writing
professionally is what you want, don't let anything stop you.
KF: What a
motivating and inspiring reply! If that doesn't give hope to the
unpublished, then nothing will. An uplifting way to conclude our
conversation. Almost. Because I'd like to finish up with some short,
fun, questions.
In
a line or two, what literary world would you most like to visit?
SOH: Argh!
Just one? Earthsea. No! Lyra's Oxford. Or... wait. Maybe Ingary, with Howl and
Sophie. But then that means I can't have Ancelstierre or the Old Kingdom or
Middle Earth or Narnia... Can I have all of 'em?
KF: God,
I'd hate to go shopping with you. If you could have dinner with ONE
literary character, who would that be? Notice the way I capitalised ONE...
SOH: Charles
Maxim from 'Rooftoppers', for reasons which are not entirely literary.
:-)
KF: You've
just sold the movie rights of your book for a large bag of cash. What's
the first thing you will buy?
SOH: A
pair of purple Doc Marten boots. I have a thing for purple footwear!
KF: In a
word, paper or electronic?
SOH: Paper!
No question. I do see the benefits of electronic media but I'm a paper
enthusiast all the way.(Sorry - that was more than one word).
KF: Lions,
witches or wardrobes?
SOH: I
reckon wardrobes, because you just never know where you're going to end up when
you open that door...
KF: And
let's go parochial for the last one: Tayto or King?
SOH:
King, all the way!
KF:
Apologies to our UK readers for the "secret-Irish-handshake" nature
of that last question, but those who need to know, will know. Thank you
so much, Sinéad, for the wonderful interview. You've certainly whetted
all our appetites for The Eye
of the North. I for one, am very much looking forward to reading it.
We wish you every success with it, and all future titles.
SOH:
Thanks for a fantastic interview!
Click here to find out more about
Sinéad O' Hart or
Kieran Fanning.
