An interview with Abi Elphinstone by Tizzie Frankish

With more at stake then ever before, can Moll and her friends stop the Shadowmasks before its too late?

As a writer of Middle Grade and a huge fan of adventure stories, its is my pleasure to welcome Abi Elphinstone, author of The Dreamsnatcher and the soon to be released sequel The Shadow Keeper.

A thrillingly wild adventure – bold, breathless and beautifully told’ Jonathan Stroud

So, grab your catapult and join us on our adventure where we crack the secret code for  bringing stories to life, share secret pasts and save the life of a certain earthworm...

I wholeheartedly agree with Katherine Rundell, who said of the Dreamsnatcher; “An outstanding debut packed with suspense, adventure and heart”. What magic and mysteries can we expect from The Shadowkeeper?

I wanted to build on Moll’s world in The Shadow Keeper – to draw her out of the forest towards a coastline puckered by caves, waterfalls and fishing villages – and as her world grew, so did the magic. But I needed to make sure the fantasy elements enhanced, rather than detracted from, my seaside setting. Originally I thought I’d stop at kelpies and grindylows but because I tried to make the plot in this book bolder, and the sense of peril greater, I felt an unstoppable urge to add yet more magic. Cue grim whispers, cursed owls, spells uttered inside secret caves and codes read out in the Oracle Bones.

Sounds exciting. I cant wait to read more about their adventures... Moll is an impulsive and courageous character and if social media photos are anything to go by there is more than a dash of Elphinstone in Moll.  What was the inspiration for this feisty protagonist?

Writing Moll is like writing my autobiography one exhausting step at a time. I loved reading feisty heroines as a child (Lyra from Northern Lights, Maia from Journey To The River Sea and Bonnie from The Wolves of Willoughby Chase) and I expect the inspiration for Moll’s friendship with her wildcat, Gryff, came from Pullman’s Lyra and Pantalaimon, but ultimately what inspired my protagonist was thinking back to the fear, excitement and wonder of being twelve. I grew up with two younger brothers and a younger sister. If we were perched on a cliff top overlooking the sea, I made sure I jumped off first. There was a tone to set. If we were leaping over bamboo canes in the garden, I made sure I leapt higher than my brothers. And out of this fierce outdoor rivalry came Moll: plucky, determined and hopelessly impulsive.

Alfie is an intriguing character and I would love to know more about him. What has he got in store for us in The Shadow Keeper?

In The Dreamsnatcher Alfie runs away from Skull’s camp to help Moll find the Amulets of Truth and while writing my debut, I knew that Alfie’s past was complicated – that there were secrets he was holding back from Moll and Sid. But it wasn’t until I had written the first few chapters of The Shadow Keeper that I realised who Alfie was. I was walking down the street one day and everything about his past suddenly popped into my head. I didn’t have a piece of paper to write on so I took a leaf from a tree in the park and scribbled his story onto it (I still have that leaf in my writing shed J). I don’t want to reveal too much about Alfie at this stage but I can say that in The Shadow Keeper Moll discovers who he really is. And there are tears.

No! Not the tears... I’m a massive fan of animal sidekicks in books. In your series there is Moll and Gryff and Siddy and his earthworm pet. Was Siddy always saddled with an earthworm or did you audition other sidekicks for him?

In The Dreamsnatcher, I included an earthworm called Porridge The Second. I felt that non-stop witch doctor antics would have been a little overwhelming and an apathetic earthworm would provide a suitable antidote to the dark magic. But when I considered having Moll squash Porridge The Second in The Shadow Keeper, my editor (and numerous fans) begged for his life. He lives, in The Shadow Keeper, but remains in the forest and down by the sea Siddy adopts a crab, Hermit, who is terrified of absolutely everything. Even his own pincers. 

Ah Hermit sounds delightful... I loved reading The Dreamsnatcher and appreciated the hints of Pullman and Lewis, which reignited my childhood memories. Which book from your childhood had the biggest impact on you as both a reader and a writer?

It’s a tough call between The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis and Northern Lights by Philip Pullman. No moment in literature has affected me so powerfully as the moment Lucy Pevensie pushes open that wardrobe door – except, perhaps, Lyra riding Iorek over the Arctic ice plains. As a reader, these stories filled me with wonder and made me hungry for magic. Now, I read a lot of contemporary children’s books and they have definitely coloured how I write. Michelle Paver (and her excellent Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series) taught me how to write action scenes, David Almond showed me that magic doesn’t need to be all signing and dancing to be powerful and believable (Skellig remains one of my favourite books) and Katherine Rundell’s writing, particularly in The Wolf Wilder, makes me want to take time over every word I write.

There is much to be said about the trials and tribulations of ‘Second Story Syndrome’.  How did you find writing a sequel compared to the first book? And how is the third book coming along?

I found writing my debut hard. Very hard. As most people already know, I had 96 rejections from literary agents on the books I wrote before The Dreamsnatcher so it was a long and winding struggle to get my book deal. But weirdly, I didn’t find writing my second book that difficult. I had the world and my protagonist set up – and I had amulets still waiting to be found... The plot poured out (perhaps because I plan/sketch each chapter before writing) but I had to work much harder at the character progression. And Book 3? (here's hoping...) You’re not meant to know that there is a Book 3 because it hasn’t been announced yet but… I submitted it on Monday and it’s a northern adventure – full of mountains, lochs, castles, moors and kilts – and I absolutely loved writing it. 

Yippeeee!... So, what’s next after the Dreamsnatcher series?

Again, I’m not supposed to reveal too much at this stage but I can tell you that I’m doing an Arctic series next. I spent a few days in the Lofoten Islands, north of Norway, over New Year and have come back armed with stories involving orcas, polar nights and glaciers. I’ve got a few characters in my head, too – Eska, Flint and an Arctic fox pup who lives in the hood of someone’s jacket. 

You travel to the ends of the earth when researching your books. Why do you feel this is an important part of your writing process?

On the one hand, I travel because I am full of wonder at our incredible world and, as author John Muir said, ‘The world’s big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark’ but on the other hand, I travel because my adventures bring my stories to life. If I’ve learnt how to carve catapults from ash, sculpt knife handles from hazel, fashion bows from yew and fletch arrows with buzzard feathers with one of Britain’s last ‘real’ Romany gypsies I can picture my main character, Moll, doing the same. And if I’ve abseiled into a cave in the heart of the Brazilian jungle, I can imagine how Moll and her Tribe would feel encountering caves filled with stalactites and brooding shadows. I’m dyslexic and my processing skills are dreadful so I crave visual prompts throughout the writing process; my adventures spark the ideas for fictional worlds but it’s the maps I draw afterwards that anchor them into a plot.

I adore Narwhals (and Artic Foxes now that you mention it!) and a little birdie tells me that they may make an appearance in one of your books.  Can you give anything away?

Ah, the unicorns of the sea. Yes, they’ll be in the book. Scientists still don’t know why narwhals have a tusk but I’m pretty sure my heroine, Eska, is going to uncover the truth.

You are a huge advocate for Middle Grade stories. What do you love the most about writing for this age group?

I love the scale of adventure, the bravery of the children and, as I often say, the sense of wonder at the heart of these stories.

Quick fire questions:

I create my characters names by… glancing at cocktail lists, signposts, shower gels in TK Maxx and, rather morbidly, gravestones.

What comes first: the character or the plot? The setting.

My favourite word is… goblin.

The book I wish I’d written is… The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.

If you could add anything to the school curriculum, what would it be? Starjumps. They’re good for the soul.

One thing you don’t know about me is… I once ate 14 pieces of toast – IN A ROW – at my friend’s house. I was 12 – and hungry.

Hiking or biking? Hiking.

My perfect day is … Walking across the Scottish moors.

 

 

Moll Pecksniff and her friends are living as outlaws in a secret cave by the sea, desperate to stay hidden from the Shadowmasks. But further along the coast lies the Amulet of Truth, the only thing powerful enough to force the Shadowmasks back and contain their dark magic.

 So, together with Gryff, the wildcat that’s always by her side, and her best friends Alfie and Sid, Moll must sneak past smugglers, outwit mer creatures and crack secret codes to save the Old Magic. 

With more at stake than ever before and the dark magic rising fast, can Moll and her friends stop the Shadowmasks before it’s too late?





The Shadow Keeper is published by Simon & Schuster Children's UK on 25th February and  can be pre-ordered by clicking on this link  

 A massive thank you to Abi for taking the time to answer my questions and for giving us a glimpse into her writing life. 

 http://www.abielphinstone.com/
http://moontrug.com/
 @moontrug

Interview by Tizzie Frankish 

www.tizziefrankish.com      
@tizzief

Review: Violet and the Hidden Treasure by Harriet Whitehorn

This story begins on New Year's Eve in a palace in India. Violet is busy helping herself to a large plate of chicken curry, rice, dhal and samosas and anything else she can cram onto it, from a long table groaning under the weight of umpteen dishes of deliciousness.

 

Published by Simon and Schuster in March 2015

 

Summary

 Meet Violet Remy-Robinson, an amateur Sherlock Holmes in the making...Violet has spent her Easter holiday exploring India with Godmother Celeste, including visiting Celeste's good friend the Maharajah and meeting his very special parrot. And when she returns home, only to get a visit from the Maharajah's butler, asking her to look after the parrot, Violet couldn't be more surprised (and her cat Pudding couldn't be less pleased…). But as Violet discovers, the parrot holds the key to the Maharajah's fortune, and someone is trying to parrot-nap her! Can she discover who the culprit is before they succeed? Violet is on the case…

******

What a delightful book! Everything about this book, makes you want to hug it. This is the one I will be buying several copies of and giving out  as presents this year. It really is the whole package.  Do not buy this book as an Ebook, as it is too beautiful to miss out on as a hard back. The cover is stroke  worthy and the  detailed llustrations on the cover and through out from Becka Moor need to be looked at again and again.

The story is simply gorgeous. I adored Violet straightaway. She is the type of kid I would've loved to have been. when I was younger - lucky enough to travel the world at such a young age and see so many interesting sights. She is gutsy, determined and extremely charming, not to mention adorable. She does has some rather unusual hobbies though. You don't normally imagine a girl at her age being a bit of an expert at poker, as well as the fine art of bluffing. She is a kid that cares. She wants to do the right thing, and is only too happy to look after the Maharajah's parrot, until the new heir is named. When someone sets out to steal Maharani, she won't stop at anything to protect him and bring him home safely.

Violet is surrounded by a rather eccentric cast of characters, who are extremely well off and have come from all over the world. Before I started to read the book, I'd convinced myself it was set in the 1920's. Once I got into it, I realised I didn't have a clue when it was set. It has such a timeless feel to it, but then you get the odd snippets of modern society, such as the mention of Pot Noodles.

Reading one of Violet's adventures, is like stepping into another world. I really hope there will be many more adventures with Violet over the next few years.

 

 

Guest Post by Jamie Littler: Creating the Cover for Hamish and the Worldstoppers

Today we are joined by Jamie Littler, the artist who created the fantastic illustrations for Danny Wallace's debut middle grade book, Hamish and the Worldstoppers. This is the first post about illustrating that we have had on MGSB, and let's hope it is the first of many, as illustrations can play a huge part in middle grade books (I'll let you into a secret - there are already more to come over the next month). Over to Jamie:

With the Hamish cover, we knew right from the beginning that we wanted it to stand out on the shelves, to be as striking and eye-catching as we could make it. Hamish and the Worldstoppers, whilst being an hilarious story filled with fun and silliness, is also a story jam-packed with action and chaotic set-pieces, and I really wanted to get this across with the illustration. The monstrous Terribles, the villains of the story, really enabled me to do this: their very reason for existence seems to be to cause chaos, harm and disorder, and I thought it would be really fun to have them 'invading' the cover like they do Hamish's town of Starkley in the book, biting and scratching away at the text and sides of the cover, reaching towards our heroes, and basically causing as much damage and mischief as they possibly can. Simon & Schuster also suggested that we could use a really cool printing technique and have the Terribles bleeding out off of the spine and page-edges (outer spine? The ribs?) of the book, and this really added to that 'swarm' feeling I was trying to give to the Terribles (and one that I think looks especially cool and unusual on the final cover!).

Like classic pulp and thriller movie posters, I thought it would be really dynamic having the main characters pulling heroic poses, standing defiantly against the on-coming Terribles. Hamish himself is not your typical action hero, however, in fact, he really is quite an average ten year old, and not really the type of boy who would pull the pose of some muscle-bound super hero. For this reason, whilst still looking defiant, I drew Hamish in a slightly insular pose. He isn't standing entirely straight, his arms are clutching at his P.P.P. (Pause Protection Pack – your first-line defence against the Terribles), not exposing his body, but he is still looking determined and ready to become the reluctant hero he is. Alice and Buster, on the other hand, really are as tough and strong as your archetypical action heroes tend to be, and as such I drew them in much more recognisable action poses (Alice clutching a spray can she's retrieved from her P.P.P., hinting at a weapon the kids use against the Terribles later in the book).

As for the colours used on the cover, this was actually quite a simple step. Trying to make the cover as bold and striking as possible, we knew it was a matter of choosing a strong colour, we weren’t going to have any subtle colour gradients or textures, we were just going for bold and brazen, to really highlight the characters and text on the image, and to make it as eye-catching as possible. The Terribles themselves were kept mostly as silhouettes, not only because the solid, black shapes looked very graphical and imposing, but also so that they didn't distract too much from our heroes in the centre (and we didn't want to give away too much about what they were, we just wanted to suggest the beastly threat facing Hamish and co).

The final iteration of the cover changed quite a bit. The designer for Hamish and the Worldstoppers, Paul Coomey, and I, were worried that the cover was in danger of feeling a bit too cluttered. We wanted the Terribles to really seem like they were swarming the cover, but we didn't want the design to feel too suffocated. As such, we removed a lot of elements, such as the large clock-face in the background (which we'd rather liked, the story is about all of time stopping, after all!), and the sign some Terribles has been gleefully chewing which was meant to be there to hold the quotes that were to appear on the final design. Sadly, this also meant we had to remove Buster and some of the more realised Terribles, but now we felt as though there was a lot more room to breathe, and that the viewer could now really focus on Hamish and Alice, the two main characters of the story, making the cover all the more striking.

Danny Wallace - Hamish and the Worldstoppers - Book Review (Simon & Schuster )

Book Blurb: What would YOU do...if the whole world just stopped? Yes the WHOLE WORLD. Birds in the air. Planes in the sky. And every single person on the planet - except you! Because that's what keeps happening to ten-year-old Hamish Ellerby. And it's being caused by The WorldStoppers and their terrifying friends The Terribles! They have a PLAN! They want to take our world for their own ...Oh, and they hate children. Especially if you're a child who knows about them. Hang on - You know now, don't you? Oh dear. Can Hamish save us from the WorldStoppers? Only time will tell!

Book Review: Thinking back to his childhood provided a great inspiration for the comedian Danny Wallace to write his first children's novel 'Hamish and the Worldstoppers'. It is a book that will stay with you for years to come; a book that will leaving you feeling better. In my opinion, nothing makes you feel better than laughter and this book has it in spades. 

From the very first page, you can tell that the author has had so much fun in writing and breathing the world of Hamish (a ten year old boy). Hamish starts to notice something very unusual happening when the world just keeps stopping. This leads to a world of many possibilities - just imagine that you are the only person in the world not to be affected by it? What could you get up to? Unfortunately, the only problem are The Terribles, who are monsters that can move through stopped time with deadly consequences....

It's a fantastic trip into Danny's childhood imagination. Rooted in his own reading experiences from Richmal Crompton to PG Wodehouse, you can see the influences injected into the story with some Dahl-like moments also included. This is a quirky read which is really quite different. It's definitely not what I was expecting, but enjoyable all the same. 

The plot is surreal. It has some scary moments and slightly bizarre incidents which younger readers will absolutely love. It's a non-stop rollercoaster full of action and adventure. It is a very cool read, in my opinion. The characters are fantastic and the monsters full of originality which leave this adding up to a story to be remembered. 

The story is set in Starkley, the fourth most boring town in Britain, but that all changes in the blink of an eye. With grown-ups mysteriously disappearing, and those that are left acting very odd, the world soon comes to a stop. No one moves. Nothing. Except the story, which comes to an explosive ending that will leave you wanting much more....

Fuelled by many silly moments that leave you smiling from head to toe, this story is a brilliant read. The sweet shop encounters will leave your senses on overload and your brain frazzled by the sugary delights. 

The outstanding illustrations in the finished copy are by Jamie Littler. They are incredibly cool and provide another feast for the eyes and imagination. 

This is another amazing and unexpected read. Hopefully, it will find the readers who love a good story whatever age they are....

Published by  Simon & Schuster Childrens Books (12 March 2015)