Middle Grade Murder - an interview with Robin Stevens.

As the fogs of autumn give way to the occasional crisp morning of frost, it’s time to settle down to a bit of seasonal mystery...

Robin Stevens, author of the bestselling, award-winning Murder Most Unladylike series, has just launched another Murder Most Unladylike Mystery – the fabulously titled MISTLETOE AND MURDER. It’s getting fantastic reviews and already topping the charts (just shows the importance of Middle Grade, people) But Robin wasn’t always a bestselling novelist, she was once an 11-year-old and that was the person I wanted to find out about:

Here she is, aged 9, having a bunbreak. 

 The 11 year old Robin Stevens was, by all reports, a bit of a bookworm – where and what would we have found her reading? 

Absolutely anything and everything! I raided the library, second-hand bookshops (my father used to take me to Hay-on-Wye every year, and standing in the specialist mystery shop Murder and Mayhem was the highlight of my life), my friends' book collections and my parents' shelves. Nothing was safe from me! I'm very lucky that no one ever told me that books were too 'young' for me to read. I happily read everything from picture books to adult books - I was definitely already reading Sherlock Holmes by then, but also re-reading my Blytons. Some of my favourite books at the time included Swallows and Amazons, Bunnicula, The Secret of Platform 13, Guards! Guards! and (bizarrely) Dave Barry Turns 50. As I say, nothing was safe from me ...

What a fabulously diverse reading list - I'm especially taken by Dave Barry (had to look that one up) But what do you think you were looking for in a book? Palpitations? Escape? Brain testing mystery?

I wanted books that taught me something and made me think (that's why I've always been so interested in puzzles and mystery - and that's what the Dave Barry was, a way of learning about history that also made me laugh) but mostly I was looking for a book that I could dive into, that made me feel part of its world and connected to its characters. I was an only child, and didn't have many neighbours my age, so I found most of my friends in books!

As a matter of interest - do you do crosswords or sudoku?

I had a phase of being a big cryptic crossword fan. I used to be pretty good! That reminds me that I should probably pick it up again. I found it really fascinating to learn, like a special coded language. Sudoku I can do, but I'm not as interested, as it's numbers or symbols, and my brain prefers word play!

So what came next? Did you hit the great Hollywood gumshoes?

I discovered Agatha Christie aged about 12 and fell in love with her plots. I loved Dorothy Sayers, too, and Ngaio Marsh and (a bit later) Josephine Tey - funnily enough I was never a big Raymond Chandler fan. His books are more thrillers than puzzles, and I think that disappointed me a bit. In terms of books I've never really wanted crime that's gory or dangerous, though I was an enormous CSI fan as a teenager!

You’re not alone with the CSI thing -  what other TV shows did/do you like - Murder she wrote?

I watched Murder She Wrote and Diagnosis Murder, but my Big Loves were (and are) the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple with Geraldine McEwen and the Suchet Poirot. I love BBC's Sherlock too. I had a Silent Witness phase, and Criminal Minds, but that just got too scary. I'm a wuss! Then Veronica Mars, Supernatural, Jonathan Creek, Alias, Heroes, Firefly ... I love good stories with great characters, however they're presented. At this very moment my big obsessions are Westworld and Humans. Robots just want to be loved, guys.

I'm thinking that you're now writing the books that you couldn't find when you were 11? So what else is out there now that wasn't out there then that you would have liked? If that makes sense?

There are so many amazing stories that just hadn't been written yet - I would have loved Skulduggery Pleasant, Mortal Engines, Hunger Games and (in terms of crime) The London Eye Mystery and Katherine Woodfine's Clockwork Sparrow series. But I think that even since I was 11 (which was 1999, not so long ago really), there's been a massive expansion in what genres are available. I know I would have LOVED comics and graphic novels, but at the time I felt like Marvel and DC were only for Proper Fans and was too shy to pick them up. If anyone had given me Lumberjanes, or the Kamala Khan Ms Marvel, or Raina Telgemeier's books, I'd have been in heaven. And YA, too - I had Louise Rennison, but I wish I could have moved on to stuff like Nicola Yoon, Harriet Reuter Hapgood, Jennifer Niven. I'd have eaten them up.

And definitely the final question - the library is burning down - which book does the 11 year old Robin rescue?

Oh man! 11 year old Robin probably stands and cries in panic. But if my library burned down today, the book I would save is one I got when I was 15. Diana Wynne Jones came to speak at the Cheltenham Festival, and I went to see her. I got my copy of Dark Lord of Derkholm signed, and it was about one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I love her books beyond all reason, and I loved seeing what a good person she clearly was at that event. If I could grow up to be any author, it would be her!

Here are Robin and her dad enjoying Christmas when she was 11 (p.s. She made the Christmas crackers)

Thank you Robin Stevens. Mistletoe and Murder is out now from Puffin books priced £6.99 and is available from all good bookshops. 

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

Author to Author, Maudie Smith quizzed by Fleur Hitchcock.

Maudie Smith is the author of the Opal Moonbaby trilogy, lives outside Bath and has a keen interest in cakes.

You’ve got a beautiful new book coming out this week – TheCake the Wolf and the Witch, can you sum it up in a few sentences?

Thank you! It is lovely, isn't it. I'm thrilled with the illustrations Tony Ross has done, and the cover design is so pretty I've had to restrain myself from licking it – it's even got embossed leaves on the front – how posh is that?

Max is fed up about his dad getting married, forcing him to live with a new sister and brother. He's even more fed up about having to jump out of a cardboard wedding cake with them and shout, “We're all going to live happily ever after!” because that obviously isn't happening. But then the children are whisked away in the cake to the Land of Ever After. Max is downright terrified when he meets a talking wolf who wants him to go on a mission to defeat a murderous witch. It should be quite clear, just from looking at him, that dangerous quests are not up Max's street.

Or, if you want the really short version, suitable for the elevator. It's INTO THE WOODS meets the CBBC show, MILLIE INBETWEEN.

Is this an idea that’s been lurking in the back of your mind for ages?   With this book it was the title that came first. It's got a rhythm to it that stuck in my brain. All I've got to do, I thought, is write about the cake, then the wolf, then the witch. I'll just join the dots - it'll be easy. Of course it wasn't like that in the end.

What do you enjoy most – writing that first draft or slicing it to bits in the editing process?

My favourite part is when I suddenly catch a creative wave and advance the story, writing things I had no idea were going to come out of me. Those are the times when I can blot out everything else and whole hours seem to roll away without me noticing. Those times are far too rare.

Who is your first reader? Do you have an agent?  And how well do you take their criticism?

My agent is Jo Unwin and she is my friend and trusted first reader. Jo helped me a lot with my first book, OPAL MOONBABY AND THE BESTFRIEND PROJECT, and I have total faith in her judgement. She tells me whether a draft is ready to go over to my editor. My husband, Gary Parker, is a writer too. He writes for TV. (In fact he writes the CBBC show, MILLIE INBETWEEN, which I seem to have mentioned here already.) We both work at home, so often meet for lunch and bounce plot ideas around. I find his thoughts very useful, although he says I never act on them. I don't ask him to read my books, though, until they're in print because I think too much criticism from someone that close could easily lead to irretrievable marital breakdown.

Are you fantastically disciplined? 

 Wouldn't it be marvellous if I were! I am the world's *best/worst (*delete as appropriate) procrastinator. And now there are so many excellent procrastination tools at our disposal – not just coffee-making or de-fleaing the cats, but Facebook and Twitter, both of which I seem to have enthusiastically embraced since I became a published writer. Coincidence? I think not.

You do school visits – do you bring your previous life to bear when dreaming up the possibilities?

Ah, you mean because I used to be an actor? Yes, to some extent. I do think that a school visit from an author should be a memorable and entertaining event, and I like to perform and lark about a bit while I'm talking about books and writing.

There's also something of an irony here, since one of the reasons I gave up acting was because the nerves started to get the better of me. I thought I'd stay at home and write instead. But then, lo and behold, I'm up on stage doing one-woman shows for hundreds of children! How'd that happen? I always enjoy it though, once I'm on.

Why children’s books?

Simply because I read so many of them myself when I was young. In those days I could be totally absorbed by books and I read in a concentrated way that, try as I might, I can't replicate in adult life. The books absorbed me and I absorbed them like a young sponge. It's probably the performer in me, but I also love reading aloud and it was reading with my own daughters, sharing books with them, pretending to be Pippi Longstocking, or Mr Gum, the BFG or Miss Hardbroom, that really got me going with my writing.

I especially like writing for the 'middle grade' age group, for people of 9 or 10 who are on the cusp of all that boggling change. My daughters are older now and want me to catch up with them and write something for teenagers or YA. I'm sorry to disappoint them, but I think I've found the right place for me, and I'm staying put.

What would the 10 year old Maudie think of the current Maudie? Would she be pleased or disappointed by Maudie Smith – writer?

She'd be a bit surprised. At 10 I was dead set on being an actor and totally blinkered to any other possibilities, so I'd be expecting more of a Maggie Smith in waiting than a Dodie Smith in the making!

When the 10 year old Maudie came home from school, what did she do of an evening?

Watched Blue Peter and Scooby Doo, ate Vesta curry and tinned peaches, pestered the cat, argued with her brothers, read Joan Aiken and Noel Streatfield, did bad cartwheels in the garden and sang Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the top of her voice.

If you could give a single piece of advice to the 10 year old Maudie – what would it be?

You're about to have a massive bust up with Susan Leach and you'll spend the next couple of years being the only girl in the class with a desk all on her own. But don't worry, Susan Leach isn't the right friend for you anyway – remember how she laughed at your efforts to make bread plaits for her precious Sasha dolls? You'll find the people who are right for you. Hang on in there and everything will work out fine.

An Interview with Stephan Pastis by Tizzie Frankish

"When you lose hope, find it." -Timmy Failure

As a writer of humorous stories, I am pleased to welcome Stephan Pastis author/ illustrator of the fabulously funny Timmy Failure books to the Middle Grade Strikes Back Blog.

For those of you not yet acquainted the Timmy Failure books feature a hapless detective, his business partner Total the polar bear and their plans for world domination. Timmy is the founder, president and CEO of the best detective agency in town, probably the world but unfortunately for him, failure is an option! And it’s a theme that unbeknownst to Timmy continues through all the books in the series.

Stephan was in the UK to promote ‘Timmy Failure: Now look what you have done’ which is now available in paperback and very kindly stopped by to share his deepest, darkest thoughts on the worst detective in town, probably the world! 

So without further ado… 

You’ve previously said ‘Pearls before Swine’ was your escape route from ‘evil lawyer to kind-heart-hearted cartoonist’. So what encouraged you to make the leap into writing and drawing for children?

The amount of space and freedom that writing a book gives you. It gives you 200 blank pages to tell any story you want. That’s something I don’t have with a comic strip – with the strip I only have 3 panels to tell my story.

So, when did Timmy Failure appear on the scene? Did he wrestle his way into your consciousness or hang around in the wings for a while? What came first his voice or his picture?

His picture came first – I was sitting around doodling, and this picture of a little kid with a scarf appeared on the page, and I was writing in the margins what this kid would be like – he’d be a detective, he wouldn’t be very smart, he’d need a sidekick. I remember I sat down consciously to think what character would I base the book on, and Timmy was the first guy I drew.  His voice came really easily - I love that kind of character where they’re dumb, but arrogant.

 Dumb and arrogant definitely come together to create laugh out loud moments, especially with Total by his side. But, if Timmy’s partner in solving crimes wasn’t Total the Polar Bear who would it have been? Did you have a back-up buddy for him?

 I did not have a back-up-buddy for Timmy, but if I did I think it would be a monkey, I love monkeys.

 Timmy and Total are quite possibly the worst duo in the history of the world for solving mysteries. Where did the idea for a detective series come from and why are they so rubbish at it?

Because every kid’s book I read with a kid detective had the same type of character in it every time; a smart, clever character who could do or solve anything – it seemed so well established that I thought it would be kind of funny to do that type of character but have him not be smart in any way. That made me laugh. I like a characters’ blind spot; the difference between who they are and who they think they are – and the wider that gap, the funnier the character.

 My children and I love the witty line drawings which add another layer of humour to the stories. What comes first the story or the drawings?

 The story always comes first – without the story I wouldn’t know what to illustrate. I leave little gaps in there for where I think a drawing would work, and I make a little note like “show Timmy with broken leg falling off statue here” for myself.

 Your enjoyment for what you do (create stories that make us laugh) clearly comes across in your work. Do you have a particular audience/child in mind when you’re writing?

 Myself. I just try to make myself laugh. Secondarily, I try to make my own kids laugh – they are the first people to read the books.

 Which book in the Timmy Failure series did you enjoy writing the most? And is the one you enjoyed writing the most your favourite?

 I like every single one of them, I take 7 weeks off from writing the comic strip during the summer and I enjoy it every time – I’m looking forward to doing the same this summer!

 Another summer of fun, no doubt! There are lots of funny characters in the books (Flo is a particular favourite of mine!) If you could pick one of your characters for a spin off series, who would it be and why?

Probably Corrina Corrina, I think she’d be the most interesting, because she has a lot of similarities to Timmy but there a lot of blank spots on her life. It would be fun to go in and fill some of them in and find out a little more about her.

The fourth book in the series; Timmy Failure: Sanitized for your Protection, is out in October.  What trials and tribulations can we expect from the hapless detective this time round?

 Timmy is going to run away from home and get arrested and that’s all I can say for now!

And just when you thought life for Timmy Failure couldn’t get any worse… After Sanitized for your Protection, how many more Timmy Failure books do you have left up your sleeve?

 I think there’ll be two or three more, I know where he’s going to end up and I’ve always had the ending in mind, I just need to figure out how he gets there…

Quick fire questions:

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Pantser

What do you like best drawing or writing? Writing

Are you left handed or right handed?

It depends, for drawing I use my right hand.

What do you like best comics or books?

I like writing the books the best.

Chicken nuggets or sausages?  (I know what Total would answer!)

I like sausages.

Questions from the kids:

I love the drawings in the books. How many are there in a book? (Ollie age 7)

About 3 every 2 pages, so that would be 300-ish drawings.

Timmy Failure doesn’t have a mouth. Why is that? (Ollie)

Because he looks very funny and odd with one.

Does Total really exist? My brother says he doesn’t, but I think he does. (James age 5)

It depends how you read the book, I think you can legitimately read it and see it as he’s in Timmy’s imagination and I think you can read it and legitimately see that he’s a real-life character. I leave it up to the reader.

What were your favourite books when you were my age (5)? (James)

I read a lot as a kid, I remember reading all the C. S. Lewis Chronicles of Narnia books, and How to Eat Fried Green Worms, A Wrinkle in Time, The Phantom Tollbooth – there were a lot!

Did you feel like Timmy Failure when you were a kid? (Rory age 9)

I still feel like Timmy Failure.

Thanks Stephan for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer my questions and for sharing your insights into the world of Timmy and his creation. I look forward to the release of Timmy Failure: Sanitized for your Protection in October. Until then…

‘The seal became dinner. The End!”

Timmy Failure: Now Look What You’ve Done is now available in paperback, £6.99

Or click on the book below

www.timmyfailure.com

https://stephanpastis.wordpress.com/

Interview by Tizzie Frankish 

www.tizziefrankish.com       @tizzief