I am pleased to announce it is my turn today on the blog tour for Little Lion Girl published by Bloomsbury.

Blurb

The city roared like a jungle.

Leonie roared back at the city.

She shook her mane and swished her tail.

She was a lion girl.

Leonie and her mother are off to the big city!

Inspired by the people, sights and sounds, Leonie can’t wait to discover it all.

Her mother tells her to stay close, but there’s SO much to see.

And surely nothing can scare a brave lion girl, can it?

A wild, spirited tale of imagination and self-belief, beautifully brought to life by Fiona Woodcock.

My stop on the tour takes the form of an author interview with Olivia Hope.

********

Tell us a little about yourself and the inspiration for your picture book Little Lion Girl.

I’m an Irish children’s author who loves writing books about children’s experiences in this world. Little Lion Girl was inspired by trips that I took with my mom up to Dublin when we’d visit the zoo, museums and galleries.

What are the underlying themes of Little Lion Girl?

I suppose the main theme is self-confidence and wonder and awe at the world around you. Also when your confidence is knocked that there is always have someone around you who can help you find your way again.

Do you have a favourite spread in the book?

Most definitely the art gallery spread – myself and Fiona have had lots of chats about the type of lion art that has been created by wonderful artists and it was breath-taking to see them brought to life. Rousseau, Durer, Rembrandt and my favourite artist Rosa Bonheur (Who actually had her own pet lions in her castle in Paris!) are all there and beautifully represented in Fiona’s style.

Talk us through your writing process.

My ideas come very quickly, but writing and rewriting takes much longer to find the heart of the story. I write mainly in pencil, then edit stories in my notebooks that are small enough to fit in any handbag or backpack so I can write anywhere – no batteries required! It’s only when I feel the story has a strong shape that I type it up and then I share my editor.

How many unpublished, and/or unfinished, books do you have?

How long is a piece of string?! I definitely start or partially write about 100 stories a year –  that’s two or three new ideas a week. Of those maybe six or seven get my full attention in a year and of those maybe 2 have get acquired by a publisher. When I was a new writer those stats would have probably bothered me but now I see 100 stories with lots of potential that I can always come back to. It’s like having a story bank that I can dip into.

If you could tell you younger writing-self anything what would it be?

All your life experiences count towards you’re writing experience, that and to play more with those ideas. Go outside your comfort zone into that brave uncertain space, that’s where your writing skills grow and develop.

What was your favourite picture book as a child?

Raymond Briggs’ Father Christmas. It was the most loved, most worn book in our local library all year round. A timeless classic.

Is there anything else you would like to tell readers about Little Lion Girl and writing picture books?

Leonie is a character who is amazed at how diverse and colourful and interesting the city is. This book is a letter of love to the multifaceted multi dynamic nature of a city. My previous book Be Wild, Little One was about embracing the great outdoors, and I think Little Lion Girl is the other side of the coin appreciating the urban life. I love living among the mountains and lakes but also love visiting the big city, as depicted in both my books. I guess it just shows that ideas are everywhere to be found and the well-worn phrase rings true – write about what you know.

********

You can buy copies of Little Lion Girl by Olivia Hope and Fiona Woodcock from your local bookshop, or online at uk.bookshop.org which supports local, independent bookshops.

More About the Author Olivia Hope

Olivia Hope is an Irish writer with a special love for fiction about wild children. Before becoming an author, she was a teacher, creative arts facilitator and even an international athlete.

She currently lives in the wilds of Southwest Ireland with her family. Her first picture book was Be Wild, Little One, illustrated by Daniel Egnéus (Bloomsbury 2022).

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oliviahopewrites

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oliviahopewriter

Website: https://oliviahopewriter.com

About the Illustrator Fiona Woodcock

Fiona Woodcock is an illustrator and picture book author. She studied Graphic Communication at Glasgow School of Art and for many years worked in animation. Her debut book Hiding Heidi was nominated for the 2017 Kate Greenaway award.

Look was the winner of the AOI World Illustration Awards 2019, and A Dot In The Snow by Corrinne Averiss was selected as one of ‘The Times Children’s Books of the Year 2016’ and nominated for the Kate Greenaway Award 2018. Fiona lives in London.

To read my review of Silver Linings by Fiona Woodcock see here: Book Review: Silver Linings

Instagram: https://instagram.com/fionawoodcock

X: https://x.com/fionawoodcock

Website: https://www.fionawoodcock.com

To follow the other stops on the tour here is the schedule:

I would like to thank Bee from Kaleidoscopic Tours for inviting me to take part in this tour. Thank you.