Monthly Archives: October 2023

Special Guest Q & A with Miriam Halahmy

Today I am pleased to welcome Miriam Halahmy to my blog to talk about her latest novel, A Boy From Baghdad, published by Green Bean Books.

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Hi Miriam,

Welcome to my blog. It has been a long time since you have been featured on my blog so I am thrilled to have you back. Your novel, A Boy From Baghdad, was launched last month and I’m excited to find out more about it.

First please tell us a little about yourself and the inspiration A Boy From Baghdad.

I have been writing since childhood but I had a career as a teacher for 25 years, so most of my published career has been in the past ten years. A Boy From Baghdad is my tenth published novel. I write contemporary and historical realistic fiction for children, teens and adults and my interest is challenging themes which inspire and inform my readers.

For this book, I was inspired by the story of my husband’s family. They are an Iraqi Jewish family, who along with almost their entire community, were forced into exile between 1949-1951, after the government turned against this ancient Jewish community.

The community had been in Babylon/Iraq for two and a half thousand years and at the point of exile, the Jews made up one third of the population of Baghdad. Like most western European Ashkenazi Jews, I knew nothing about the Jews of the Middle East until I met my husband. It has been a huge and fascinating learning curve. Around one million Jews were ethnically cleansed from the Arab countries and Persia at the same time and they went mainly to the new State of Israel.

Their wealth was taken from them and they were stripped of their citizenship from countries they had lived in for thousands of years. Their story of exile has largely been ignored by the world. My novel is the first time this story has been told in English for children.

What are the underlying themes of your novel, A Boy From Baghdad?

Salman Shasha, 12 years, comes from a comfortable Jewish home in Baghdad and lives with his parents, older sister and younger twin brothers. Salman’s goal in life is to become a champion swimmer. He refuses to listen to talk of exile to the Promised Land and daydreams in his Hebrew classes.

Salman represents the Iraqi Jews who did not want to leave, despite the growing threat. However, against his will the entire family, all the grandparents, uncles, aunties and cousins, leave on a flight to Israel. They have been promised a land flowing with milk and honey, but this was far from the truth. Israel in the 1950s was a struggling new country and Salman and his family find themselves in a tent in a refugee camp, with little food and no work for the men. But much worse, the dominant Ashkenazi Jews looked down on the Jews from the Arab countries and did not treat them well.

This book covers themes of friendship and family working together to overcome huge difficulties, exile to another land, dislocation and culture clashes and racism towards newcomers. Threading through the book, like the River Tigris threading through Baghdad, is Salman’s determination to swim and to become a champion.

You have also addressed the very challenging concepts of racism and refugees in A Boy From Baghdad. Were these scenes hard to write?

I believe that writing is about truth and integrity. Over the length of my marriage, I have come to learn the difficult story of the Middle Eastern Jews and like all stories of exile and making your way as a refugee in a new country, there are uncomfortable truths which have to be faced. But I believe that unless we are honest about our history we cannot grow as individuals.

Gradually the Arab Jews became accepted into Israeli society and today Arabic food and music are very popular in Israel. But it is horrible that my husband and his community were not accepted from the outset. Yes, it was hard to write the scenes which tell these truths and also the plight of new refugees into Israel but it is a story which needs to be told.

What research did you need to do to make your setting of the ‘Promised land’ during 1951 feel authentic?

In a way I have been researching this book for the whole of my married life. I started by interviewing my husband’s siblings and making notes. Before this book I have written poems and articles about the community as well as reviewing several non-fiction books on their history and exile. I have also backed up all anecdotes with further research from documentary evidence, including publications, documentaries and attending lectures. It has been a fascinating journey. I lived in Israel for a year in the 1970s and learnt to speak Hebrew. This also gave me an insight into the early years of the country and the struggles they went through.

Do you have any writing rituals? Tell us a little about your writing process.

No social media on my laptop, which is where I write.
No music, sounds, etc, I like silence when I write.
I work after breakfast until lunchtime. I’m no good in the afternoon.
I have an initial loose plan :-
- The inciting moment
- The heartbeat of the story – crises, upbeat times, climax and resolution
- I have a peculiar quirk – whenever I get to chapter 3 I write the final chapter. No idea why. But it works.
- Cast list – I name all my main and secondary characters and write as much as I can about them, which often triggers the writing of entire scenes.
I daydream, go for walks, daydream some more, keep a notebook, and then daydream some more.
Once I have cracked the book and I’m on the final quarter, I write almost non-stop for a week or two and then I’m done.
I love editing both before I submit and then with an editor.
I’ve been writing for 65 years and I still love it.
I never run out of ideas – even when other writers steal my work. Nothing will ever suppress my creative writing.

What writing advice would you give to people aspiring to be a children’s book writer?

Read as widely as you can. I know children’s writers who claim they never read adult fiction. Big mistake. Read and read and read. That is how you will hone your craft. Write. Anything. Write a piece for your church, mosque or synagogue newsletter; write a blog post; write a letter; write and write and write. There is never a reason not to write just because you feel stuck on chapter 4.

If you are stuck here’s some tips :-

Walk away from the laptop. Get a piece of paper and a pen – or a big felt tip – or a crayon – something different. Write some words on your paper. Let the words trigger more words. It is the act of moving your pen which will stimulate the creative juices.
Ask yourself a question, e.g. What do I want to say? Answer it. Keep asking questions, even silly ones e.g. What colour is a penguin? Again, it is the act of writing which will free you up.
If you don’t get down to it, you won’t feel good for the rest of the day – well, you probably already know that. So decide to sit at your laptop for 30 minutes and write. Even if you only manage a paragraph – or a line or two, when you get up you will have done your writing for that day.

Is there anything else you would like to tell readers about A Boy From Baghdad and writing for children?

A Boy From Baghdad has been a very special journey, writing the story of the Iraqi Jewish community for my husband and his family, for our children and grandchildren and for all our wider family and friends. I have loved this special journey and I hope you will read the book and let me know what you think.

If you are an aspiring writer for children, you could not be in a better place and I wish you much joy and success.

Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed about A Boy From Baghdad. It has been such a pleasure having you back on my blog. Your tips for when you get stuck are especially helpful.

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You can read my previous interview with Miriam Halahmy here: An interview with… Miriam Halahmy

To find out more about Miriam take a look at her website: www.miriamhalahmy.com or follow her on X : @miriamhalahmy and Instagram : @miriamhalahmyauthor.

You can buy a copy of A Boy from Baghdad direct from the publisher Green Bean Books here , or from any good independent bookshop, or online at uk.bookshop.org which supports local, independent bookshops.

Blog Tour – The Midnight Switch

Today is my slot on the tour for The Midnight Switch by Samuel J. Halpin, published by Usborne.

Born in Tasmania with Irish roots, Samuel J. Halpin writes daily. Having studied journalism at the University of New South Wales, Samuel went on to take cinematography at AFTRS, the national Australian film school in Sydney before moving to London and working in comedy TV production.

His children’s books are his answer to a childhood raised on a hodgepodge of fairy tales, crowded bookshelves and cups of hot chocolate.

Summary:

A spooky, quirky adventure of curses and magic, perfect for fans of Malamander and A Place Called Perfect.

When Lewis’s family moves to a faraway town called Barrow, he can’t quite put his finger on what feels so strange about his new home. Everyone is obsessed with superstition, and an old story about floods and witches and a curse, while a mysterious bird watches his every move.

Then his family friend Moira arrives to stay. Only, there’s something peculiar about Moira too. She doesn’t know where she’s from, or even when she’s from, and strange things happen around her. Lewis and Moira are determined to figure out what’s going on in Barrow, but as they unravel secret symbols, riddles and stories of a midnight curse, they find that there might be some truth in the old town tales.

Time is running out, before magic switches up everything they know…
The Midnight Switch by Samuel J, Halpin

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

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Tell us a little about yourself and the inspiration for The Midnight Switch

Well I most certainly can! My name is Samuel J. Halpin. The Midnight Switch is my second book – The Peculiar Peggs of Riddling Woods being my first. I’m an author with a feverish love for all things spine-prickling, and love nothing more than an adventure – be that one taking place in my head or high up a mountain. I love nature, folklore, ghouls, ghosts and the way all of these things collide and entangle with one another in the world around us.

What are the underlying themes of The Midnight Switch?

The Midnight Switch at a glance is about the power of friendship to heave us through sometimes terrifying sometimes downright painful circumstances. It’s about loss in some ways (no spoilers!) and how powerful it is to know someone and feel their influence upon you, despite the fact that you may not ever see them again. But its also about Lewis and his Dad. And how difficult it can be to navigate a relationship with a parent who may only want what’s best for you, but demonstrates it an overbearing way.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

A little of both. A plotter when I know what’s good for me, but a pantser when a good idea strikes, and I shoot off in a particular direction like a renegade fire cracker. Then, when the firecracker idea has had some cold water put on it and it’s all fizzled out, I go back to plotting.

How do you ensure you keep children turning the pages?

By making sure that the twists and turns of the tale are fresh and truly unexpected. I also like to make sure that the themes I explore are relevant and can be understood from many different vantage points.

As an example, I think Lewis’s struggle to understand his Dad in this book is a theme that lots of us can relate to and observe, even if this isn’t our experience of our parent.

I also am a firm believer that children like to be scared. At least, as a kid, I most certainly did. Fear, particularly in books, is something you can play quite safely with and yet experience all the same sensations as if you were walking along a lonely road in the dead of night. Or stepping over somebody’s grave. Or thinking about what might be beneath as you tread deep water.

What is your favourite thing about writing for children?

It gives me the opportunity to go back and remember how different the world looks when you’re a kid. Sometimes that means it can be all the more frightening and overwhelming than when you’re an adult. But the sense of curiosity and wonder – not only for things that are fantastical, but also for people and the way they behave – is truly a thing of great beauty.

If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose?

Far too many to choose from. E. Nesbit would be up there. As I love the way she made ordinary things so very gripping and otherworldly. But I would like Stephen King to answer for some of my childhood nightmares. Dodie Smith for a punch of nostalgia. Neil Gaiman for…well…Neil Gaiman…it might have to evolve into a bit of a dinner party I’m afraid…is there enough time in this would-be day?

What writing advice would you give to people aspiring to be a children’s book writer?

Write often. And try being as much of a pantser as you can, because all the good ideas come flying out like bats from a belfry when you’re being a pantser.

Is there anything else you would like to tell readers about your books and writing for children?

I do love to hide little things in my books. Easter Eggs, of sorts. So if you spot them – do let me know!

There are a couple in The Midnight Switch if you know a thing or two about chess!

What are your social media links where can people find out about you and your books?

I’m @SamuelJHalpin on X/Twitter and SamuelJHalpin on Instagram. And as for finding out about me and my books – I love when people reach out to ask lovely questions. Please feel free to do so!

Where is the best place for people to buy your book?

Anywhere that sells the darn thing! But if you do have the privilege of being able buy it from a local bookshop of yours – I’m sure the booksellers there will be able to steer you in the direction of other wonderful titles too.

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To follow the rest of the tour please take a look at the schedule:

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

Blog Tour: Pax and the Missing head by David Barker

I am thrilled to announce today is my stop on the Ultimate Write Reads Tour for Pax and the Missing head by David Parker.

David Barker lives in Berkshire with his wife and daughter and has a passion for stories, sport and board games. In 2014, he attended the Faber Academy and from that had three climate-fiction thrillers published, The Gold Trilogy, Bloodhound Books.

He joined SCBWI in 2018 because as he wanted to shift his focus to a younger audience. HIs MG debut, Pax and the Missing Head published with Tiny Tree was released 12th October, 2023.

Pax and the Missing Head is a middle grade science fiction, dystopian adventure set in 2057.

Blurb

In a country beset by civil war, New London defends itself behind a giant wall. Inside the city, children are forced to work from an early age, except for the lucky few who train to be leaders in the re-purposed Palace of Westminster. 12-year-old orphaned Pax is brilliant at recycling old tech. He enjoys working on the verti-farms and just wants a bit of peace and quiet. But when that is taken away from him, his only hope is to pass a near-impossible exam and join the other students in Scholastic Parliament. There he’ll make new friends and new enemies. He’ll get tested like never before. And he’ll discover that not everything is quite what it seems under the mayor’s harsh leadership.
Blurb from the back cover of Pax and the Missing Head by David Barker

My stop on the tour will take the form of an author interview.

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Hi David,

Welcome to my blog.

To start please tell us a little about yourself and the inspiration for your book Pax and the Missing Head.

I’ve been writing for over ten years now. I cut my teeth on the Faber Academy course in 2014 from which grew a trilogy of dystopian James Bond-like thrillers (The Gaia Trilogy, Bloodhound Books). I first started working on a draft of Pax in 2018. It was inspired (if that’s the right word!) by the deep political divisions in this country and in America following the Brexit vote and Trump’s election win. I began to wonder: what if these divisions led to another civil war in Britain? Pax & The Missing Head is set at a time when the initial fighting has died down and New London shelters behind a giant wall. My vision for this future borrowed heavily from my memories of George Orwell’s 1984. The final piece of the jigsaw fell into place when my enjoyment of Harry Potter fused with my interest in the Palace of Westminster and I wondered: what if this building were a school? Scholastic Parliament was born.

How much research did you need to do for Pax and the Missing Head? Tell us about the most unusual research you did.

The great thing about writing a story set in the future is that you can make stuff up! Most of the weird inventions are loosely based on current trends in technology. But I also deliberately set some trends backwards – the Civil War and New London’s isolation has come at a cost to its citizens. For research, I dug out a map of the internal architecture of the Palace of Westminster. But the oddest thing I researched was how to make a foaming blue snake out of fairy liquid and hydrogen peroxide – a chemistry lesson scene that got cut during the edits.

How do you develop your plot and characters?

Once I had the idea for Scholastic Parliament and a divided Britain, I needed a character. A peace-loving child (Pax is Latin for peace), with no parents (they just get in the way of a child-led plot!) and maybe few friends. I needed him to be excluded, at first, from the other pupils at the school, so I imagined a world when some babies were made in test tubes and used as a form of child labour, which is where we find Pax at first. Then I had to decide who the real villain of the story was and how this person threatened Pax’s hard-working but peaceful future. And since I love stories that have a competition at their heart (like Ender’s Game or Ready Player One), I added that as an element of the school curriculum.

Which of the characters do you relate to the most and why?

There are definitely aspects of myself in Pax, although I am must closer to Samuel than Pax when it comes to rules: Pax doesn’t mind bending them, Samuel is a stickler like me. But my favourite character is probably Roacher – a miniature pet robot that Pax builds once he is enrolled at Scholastic Parliament. I would love to own a Roacher for real!

Do you have any writing rituals?

Once I have figured out a setting, the main characters and a rough outline of a plot, I am ready to begin draft one. There follows an intense month or two of trying to write a chapter every morning. I try to leave the afternoon free for reading (keeping up with the current market and looking for inspiration!) or thinking about any knotty problems I’ve encountered with the plot thus far. The next morning, I’ll read over what I wrote the day before, give it a light edit and then I’m back in the zone to write another chapter.

Is there a particular place you like to write?

I wrote my first novel on the train during my commute home from work each evening. It look about 5 years to finish! These days, I write full time and work from home. I’m lucky enough to have a lovely study with a big desk and a nice view out of the window.

What writing advice would you give to people aspiring to write dystopian adventures?

Whatever aspect of a dark future you imagine, make sure it has some real consequences for the protagonist in your story. Make it especially relevant to that person. For example, maybe we all have to live in high-rise apartments because of rising sea levels and the hero is afraid of heights. And the other thing I always try to do (especially with children’s fiction) is to make sure there is hope. Let your readers see the protagonist making the world a better place. Show them we can all make a difference.

Is there anything else you would like to tell readers about Pax and the Missing Head?

I’m very excited to share my first children’s story with the world. I hope you all enjoy it and please remember to leave a review on Amazon, Waterstones or Goodreads. It makes a massive difference to debut authors. Thank you. And look out for book two next year.

Where is the best place for people to buy your book?

It should be available in all the usual places. Bookshop.org is a great website that supports independent book stores. To order Pax through them visit: Pax and the Missing Head.

Thank you David. I think it is so true that it is always good to be able to read a book that leaves you with a sense of hope. You are so right.

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To find out more about David and his books visits his website: www.davidbarkerauthor.co.uk. You can also follow him on X: @BlueGold201; Facebook: @david.barker.3705157 and Instagram: @barker1397.

I would like to thank Dave from The Write Reads for inviting me on this tour. Thank you.

Blog Tour – Santa Steals Christmas (Audio book)

It is my stop today on the blog tour for Santa Steals Christmas audio book, written by Eve Nairn-Magnante.

Born 2009 in Edinburgh, Scotland, Eve Nairn-Magnante has been creating stories ever since she can remember. At the age of six, she recounted the first version of Santa Steals Christmas! to her father, Mark Magnante, who wanted to preserve it for her. He typed up the tale, as told to him by Eve, stowed it safely away and made plans to produce a single printed book as a surprise Christmas gift for when she was older.

It was one of Eve’s teachers who encouraged Eve to alongside an illustrator to achieve her vision of the story. So working closely with children’s book illustrator Nicholas Child, Eve provided initial sketches and creative direction for the look and feel of the characters, including sample drawings of the robots and input into the animal characters, Pretzel the dog and the two cats, Cookie and Basil.

Among the world’s youngest published authors, Eve is a passionate believer in diversity, equality and inclusion – she wants her stories to reflect the world she sees around her. That means characters of different ethnicities and abilities, as well as another of her passions: animals.

Eve has shown an incredible knack for storytelling. She is a believer in inclusivity and Santa Steals Christmas reflects her ethos in that it is written by a child for children everywhere. Recognised by Young Writers for her contributions, Eve continues to inspire and innovate.

My stop on the tour involves a book review.

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Title: Santa Steals Christmas

Written by: Eve Nairn-Magnante

Illustrated by: Nicholas Child

Narrated by: Olicia Caw

Published by: EV3 Limited

Santa Steals Christmas is a dynamic mystery adventure that will hook young readers in the hunt for the naughty Santa imposter. The audio book is an extended version of the picture book with added details and observations. Some of these details seemed a bit too adult and I got the impression that although the audio book was based on Eve’s initial idea it has obviously been embellished by her father.

The narrator, Olivia Caw, has a mild Scottish lilt which added its own magical allure to the audio story. Her voice was easy to listen to and she read the story in an animated way with just the right amount of intonation to keep the listener focused on what was going to happen next, giving the Santa Steals Christmas audio book the lyrical tone you want in a Christmas story to create a memorable listening experience.

Nicholas Child’s illustrations in the supporting picture book were adorable. There are so many intricate details that will entice young children to browse the pages and discover where the Santa imposter is that is stealing the presents the real Santa has just finished delivering. Their colourful charm and humour will keep the children turning the pages.

I was impressed the typeface had been designed by a dyslexic for people with dyslexia to make the picture book accessible and inclusive to all readers. It was good to see 5% percent of the sales are being donated to Dyslexia Scotland and there is a lovely forward written by Cathy Magee the Chief Executive of Dyslexia Scotland to support the book.

It was also interesting that as well as donating 5% percent of the sales to Dyslexia Scotland, another 5% percent of sales will be donated to Scottish Autism, making this book a great way to help support these charities over Christmas.

The ending came out of the blue and I would have liked a little more foreshadowing to make it feel more credible. But on the whole this imaginative Christmas story has a satisfying Christmas message which encompasses the theme of family and togetherness. I particularly liked the subtle way readers are reminded Christmas is not all about the presents

So you can bet your biggest bunch of carrots this would be a lovely stocking filler, or book to cuddle up and listen to with your young children on Christmas Eve.

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Santa Steals Christmas is available to buy in paperback, e-book and audiobook from Amazon.

To see the other posts in the tour please follow the schedule:

I would like to thank Kelly from Love Book Tours for inviting me to take part in this tour. Thank you.

I have also reviewed this audio book on Amazon.

Book Review: The Big Dreaming

To celebrate the release of The Big Dreaming by Michael Rosen and Daniel Egnéus tomorrow, Thursday 26th October 2023, I am posting a review of the book.

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Title: The Big Dreaming

Written by: Michael Rosen

Illustrated by: Daniel Egnéus

Published by: Bloomsbury Children’s Books

This book is stunning. The repeated four lined phrase/poem is easy to remember and children will love to join in, making the book an interactive experience. I can instantly see why this adorable picture book has been described as an ‘instant classic’. I must say I whole-heartedly agree.

It portrays a young bear cub who has his own worries about the forthcoming hibernation and perseveres to find a solution to his problem. Little Bear visits some of the other woodland creatures to find a dream that will last the whole of ‘the big sleep’. Each of the dreams have an uplifting conclusion and important message to convey. In this way The Big Dreaming is indeed ‘a story of hope and perseverance’.

Daniel Egnéus uses beautiful autumnal colours, which subtly change into winter setting the scene for the bears’ big winter sleep and they delicately change again when the bears awaken in the spring. The exquisite illustrations successfully reveals how we measure our lives in seasons and associate them with colours and feelings.

This is most definitely an enchanting picture book children will want to hear read again and again. It leaves the reader with a feeling of calm. It would make a great Christmas present for any young child.

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This book was previously reviewed on NetGalley and Goodreads and would like to thank Bloomsbury Children’s Books and NetGalley for organising a digital copy of this book for me. Thank you.

I have interviewed Michael Rosen about the research he does for his writing in 2009, when he was children’s laureate. to read highlights from this interview take a look at: An interview with… Michael Rosen.

I have had the pleasure of reviewing another book illustrated by Daniel Egnéus. You can read the review here: Book Review – Moth.

Special Guest Q & A with Saviour Pirotta

Today I am excited to welcome Saviour Pirotta to my blog.

Saviour is a playwriter and author of mainly children’s fiction. He has series set in latest books are set in Ancient Greece, the Islamic Golden Age, the Stone Age and Ancient Egypt.

The last book of Saviour’s Nile Adventure series, The Serpent’s Ellipse, is due for release January 2024. Here is the blurb:

After foiling the plot against Prince Khaem, Renni hopes life will return to normal. Except, when Balaal’s father sends a message calling her home, Renni must face the reality that the lives of him and his friends are no longer entwined. As the group splits onto their separate paths, darker forces move in the shadows, intent on claiming the world as their own. Will Renni, Mahu and Balaal discover who are their friends and who are foes, or will the world be plunged into eternal night? Join Renni in the spectacular finale of the Nile Adventures series.
Blurb for The Serpent’s Eclipse by Saviour Pirotta, published by Maverick Books.

Without any more delays let’s get on with the interview.

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The Serpent’s Eclipse is the last in The Nile Adventure series. What is it like reaching the end of a series? Do you find you need a period of mourning, or do you celebrate?

I always have mixed feelings when I reach the end of a series. I’ve lived with the characters and storyline for a couple of years, sometimes more. I’ve got to know the world they inhabit inside out and it’s always sad to leave a place you have created and loved. At the same time, I’m always itching to tackle a new subject, to get to know new characters and civilisations.

How much research did you have to do for your Nile Adventure series and what was the most unusual research you had to do?

I have been obsessed with Ancient Egypt since hearing the story of Moses at school. I must have been in Year 1. I remember trying to imagine what Pharaoh’s palace would have looked like. In those days there was no handy internet, you had to look up stuff in books, so I spent a lot of time in the library, still my favourite place in the whole wide world along with cafes that serve afternoon tea. I have little notebooks where I write down interesting facts to put in stories and a lot of those snippets of information are often about ancient Egypt.

For my fortieth birthday, I went on a Nile cruise and it inspired The Nile Adventures. Not only were the temples mind-blowing but the river itself was very inspiring. Looking at the villages on its banks was like watching a film. It was so easy to imagine you were back in Ancient Egypt. One afternoon I saw a boy drawing pictures with a reed brush. An older boy was fishing nearby. I took them to be brothers. Renni and Mahu were born in my mind. I did years of research after that, to discover more about their world and their way of life.

Renni, Mahu and Balaal are such strong well-rounded characters. How do you create your Ancient Egyptian characters to fit the era so perfectly yet children today can still identify with them?

Creating characters that ring true in their own time but that today’s readers can also empathise with is the biggest challenge in writing historical fiction. It’s like walking a tight rope. The ancient world was a very different place from our own, in all sorts of ways. To us today, life in Ancient Egypt would have been quite frightening. There were no guarantees. People were very superstitious. They believed the gods were constantly breathing down their necks, always ready to judge and punish them should they break the rules. They weren’t even sure the sun would come up every morning. And yet they had the same hopes and fears we have today. They all wanted to be loved, to be understood, to have fun after a hard day’s work, to celebrate the milestones in their lives. In a way, the world has changed a lot, we have changed a lot, but we have also stayed the same. It’s this duality I try to capture in my stories.

Why did you decide to write The Nile Adventure series from the multiple viewpoint of Renni and his brother Mahu and also the antagonists?

I wanted to explore a rounded Egypt that took the reader beyond the image presented by the leitmotifs of popular Egyptology. Of course, the stories feature gods and mummies and the great annual inundation but I hope they also give kids (and the many adults who seem to be taking to the series) a glimpse of what life would have been like on the banks of the Nile during the height of Egyptian civilisation.

As I see it, there were two sides to Ancient Egyptian life: the glamorous world of Pharaoh’s court and the temples with their tales of magic and the afterlife; and there was also the harsh world of trying to exist on the edge of an arid desert, where the poor mostly remained poor all their life. Renni, the artist, represents the glamorous world of art, poetry and royalty. His brother Mahu, the farmer/sailor represents the challenging reality of everyday life. Princes Balaal is a daughter of the Fenkhu, a Phoenician from the country now known as Lebanon. She brings an outsider’s perspective to the series, someone who is an awe of Egypt but can also be sceptical of its preoccupations and belief system. She stands in for the reader. Paser, the evil and ever-ambitious vizier, brings yet another point of view: that of the privileged and the entitled. Sadly, he is the character closest to present day society. He is actually based, albeit in a vastly exaggerated way, on a real person I knew in Brighton.

When starting a new series do you already have an idea of how many books it will span and what the overall arc of the series will be? Talk us through your initial planning process.

When I first created Renni and Mahu, I had only one book in mind. It was going to be called Valley of the Kings. All I had at that point was the idea of them stealing the general’s heart scarab and his ka, his spirit (or ghost if you like), chasing them for it. I knew the story was going to end with the two very different brothers finding common ground and learning to appreciate each other’s gifts and accepting their downsides. But I had no clue how that was going to happen until I started doing proper research.

Prior to stating The Nile Adventures, I wrote a very successful four book series set at the end of the Neolithic. It was called Wolfsong and I liked the freedom such a big story arc gave me to explore the characters’ possibilities. So I expanded Valley of the Kings into four books. I set myself two rules: Each book had to feature an animal sacred the Ancient Egyptians, and each one had to be set in a different city.

What writing advice would you give to people aspiring to be a children’s book writer?

Three words. Don’t. Give. Up. If your story is any good, someone somewhere will publish it. There’s all sorts of reasons publishers will not take on a book. The subject might not be in fashion. They might have something else in the pipeline that might clash with yours. No one wanted to take a punt on The Golden Horsemen of Baghdad until the Islamic Golden Age was added to the National Curriculum. Now it goes into reprint on a regular basis.

And write for yourself, not for the market. Children are incredibly shrewd critics. They can tell if a voice is genuine. Write from the heart, don’t try to emulate other writers, and you will get there.

Is there anything else you would like to tell readers about your books and writing for children?

My books are my reason for living. I put my heart and soul into them. I am forever grateful that I seem to have found a core readership that like mu stories. It took a long time to find my voice, to tell the stories I want to tell. The main characters in my books have a large part of me in them. I am Nico, the snack-loving scribe in the Ancient Greek Mysteries; I am also Jabir in The Golden Horsemen of Baghdad, a boy who wants to do the right thing but doesn’t know how to do it. Perhaps the character that is closest to me is Wolf in Wolfsong. He starts off not knowing what to do with his life; the world frightens him. He feels inadequate, but in the end, he finds himself. Renni in The Nile Adventures is also partly based on me. He wants to use his gifts to make the world a better place and that is what I try to do with my books.

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You can follow Saviour on X @spirotta and on Threads as @saviour2858 and on Instagram as saviour2858.

To read my reviews of the previous books in the Nile Adventure series take a look at:

You can buy Saviour Pirotta’s books from any good bookshop. They’re available online at amazon but also direct from the publishers where you can often get great discounts. Here’s the address https://maverickbooks.co.uk/junior-fiction/.

Book Review: Mermedusa

Title: Mermedusa

Written and Illustrated by: Thomas Taylor

Cover Illustrated by: George Ermos

Published by: Walker Books

When reading this series of mystery adventure books I have come late to the party as I have to admit I have not read any of the other books in the Eerie-on-Sea series. Starting a series by reading book five, the last book, is probably not a good idea but as I am the sort of person that will flick to the end of a book to find out what is going to happen before I finish it, it is definitely par for the course. There is a sense of satisfaction knowing the conclusion and working out how the novel unwinds to get there.

My real concern was not understanding what was going on because I had missed so much. I needn’t have worried. Mermedusa is a complete story in itself with a gripping beginning with Herbie finding a broken lost watch and immediately wanting to discover the mystery behind it and why it stopped at midnight; an exciting middle complete with monsters looming from the eerie mist and quite frankly the most brilliant ending.

I was impressed with the writing and characterisation. Yes. There is references to events throughout the previous books but these are concisely explained giving us just enough information to move the plot forward without bogging us down in the past.

Herbert lemon and Violet Parma are our protagonists and their names certainly bought a smile to my face. The author Thomas Taylor (who could be a secret superhero with a name like that) obviously has an obsession with sweets. Herbie is the lost and founder at the Nautilus Hotel. it is his job to find and return things to the residents of the hotel. It is written form his point of view in third person. Violet is a feisty and loveable character. the friendship between her and Herbie is heart-touching and relatable. they are both strong characters who the reader is rooting for. the mystery behind their missing parents gives the reader an emotional connection to the characters.

I enjoyed this fast-moving plot which kept me turning the pages. it is full of suspense and delightful twists and turns. ideal for upper middle grade with a love of fantasy adventures with imaginative monsters.

You can buy copies of Mermedusa by Thomas Taylor from your local bookshop, or online at uk.bookshop.org which supports local, independent bookshops. Thomas has also said in a recent interview with him that if you would like a signed and drawn-in book, then please order through his local indy bookshop www.hastingsbookshop.co.uk, and leave a note in the order form.

See the interview I did with Thomas Taylor that went live on my blog on Monday here:

Special Guest Q & A with Thomas Taylor

Special Guest Q & A with Thomas Taylor

I would like to welcome Thomas Taylor to my blog today to talk about his Eerie on Sea series, published by Walker Books.

Thank you for inviting me onto your blog, Anita.

Tell us a little about yourself and your inspiration for the Eerie on Sea series. Was it always planned to be five books?

I’m an author and illustrator of children’s books, though I’m mostly writing these days.

My Eerie-on-Sea books are inspired by my experience of moving to a seaside town in 2010, and discovering how such places are in the off season, when the tourists have gone home, and the weather turns bad. Winter by the sea is a moment of dramatic sunsets, bonkers weather, strange sights and eccentric characters. This is also the best time to find treasures washed upon the beach. It’s the season when those local legends of sea creatures and smuggler ghosts, which seemed so laughable in the summer, suddenly make you look over your shoulder as you hurry home in the dark.

As for the number of books, I can’t say it was always planned to be five. But As I wrote Malamander I realised that there was far more material than could be accommodated in just one book. The auction that saw Walker acquire the book resulted in a three book deal, however A trilogy also never seemed enough for me. The question I faced as I wrote Gargantis, the sequel to Malamander, was how many books more than three should I aim at? Seven seemed to be pushing things too far, but five had a nice round feel to it. And I could see that five books would allow me the space to resolve Herbie and Violet’s narrative arc properly, whilst also telling five distinct stories. I was very happy when Walker agreed.

What would you say are the underlying themes of the series as a whole?

There is a strong theme of things being lost and things being found running through the books, like letters through a stick of rock: Herbie’s job as Lost-and-Founder; Violet’s past as a baby who was lost, and who now wants to be found; Herbie’s own past as a boy who was washed up on the beach and has to find himself; the countless little examples of the same in the secondary characters, from lady Kraken’s back story, to the magical experience Mr Seegol had as a young man and which he longs to experience again.

As a keen beachcomber, I’ve seen the way lost things are changed by the tide, and repurposed by the people who find them: Yesteryear’s broken lemonade bottle is today’s sea glass gem, and tomorrow’s piece of jewellery. But it’s also the ‘mermaid tears’ of legend: trash turned to treasure by the tide, and then turned to story by human imagination.

Friendship is another theme. As is trust, and the importance of doing what’s right, and of trusting ones own instincts to determine what is right.

Was the passing of time between each book important for the Eerie on Sea series and why?

It was a challenge certainly. Most readers, I think, didn’t notice that the five books take place over the course of a single year, until I pointed it out in the last book, Mermedusa. The series runs from Midwinter to Midwinter, with a large gap over the summer, during which the town of Eerie-on-Sea becomes ‘Cheerie-on-Sea’ — replacing the letters C and H that blow off the pier every year, and pretending the be a normal little seaside town again, to attract tourists.

With the five adventures fitting into the autumn and winter of a single 12 month period, I had to make sure that the consequences of one book were still felt in the next. It also gives a relatively tight period for character growth to take place in. But I felt strongly that I couldn’t let Herbie and Violet grow out of their childhood as the stories ticked by, and they are as approximately ‘twelvish’ at the end as they were at the beginning.

How did you manage to conclude all the mysteries and tie up all the plot points from all five books without missing anything? Talk us through your planning process to achieve this.

I don’t really plan my books. I tend to rely on a lot of day-dreaming, then a lot of feverish story telling. I pay for this sloppy technique whenever I take a wrong turn and have to undo a few chapters. But it does keep things fresh and surprising. For example, in Malamander I had no idea that Erwin the cat would have the magical quirk that he has until he exhibited it in a scene. I got goosebumps when that happened, so, of course, I kept it in, in hopes that the reader would get goosebumps too.

I also have very good and observant editors.

How did you come up with the names of each of your monsters and the legends behind them for each of the books in the Eerie-On-Sea series.

With Malamander, I realised that even though I was creating a legend about a sea monster, I could help the legend seem more ‘real’ if I based its name on a real word. After listing a lot of probably candidates, I hit on ‘salamander’ because I saw that if I changed the S to an M, I would have a ‘Mal’ sound. Mal in French and Spanish means ‘bad’ or ‘evil’, which works in English too: think of ‘malevolent’ and ‘malign’. So ‘Malamander’ sounded monstrous to me.

Having done this once, it was then a challenge to create the other titles. But in brief: Gargantis was a squashing-together of ‘gargantuan’, ‘gigantic’ and ‘Atlantis’, Shadowghast was a simple joining of two words to evoke a kind of spectral creature, Festergrimm was a play on Frankenstein, the themes of which are touched on in the book, and Mermedusa is ‘mer’ from mermaid bolted onto ‘Medusa’ from Greek myth.

Will you be revisiting Eerie-On-Sea? What’s next?

I would love to write another Eerie-on-sea book one day, but it would be a standalone, and not part of Herbie and Violet’s story arc. I think Herbie and Violet would be in it though, but as secondary characters. In the meantime, I’m working on a new idea which is proving hard to get right, but which is exciting. All I can say about that is it will have more of the same sort of intrigue, mystery, creatures, magic, nice things to eat, good friends and dastardly going-on.

What writing advice would you give to people aspiring to be a children’s book writer?

I find it hard to give advice. Certainly, I think an aspiring writer for children needs to be very aware of current children’s books, and reading the books that are being published right now. However, it’s important to write the books you want to write and believe in, and not work to trends or over worry about what others are doing. Good storytelling, compelling voices, and rich characterisation are always in high demand, even if you are writing in a genre that seems over-represented. So, enjoy your own stories! Readers will notice if you don’t.

What are your social media links where can people find out about you and your books?

Instagram is probably my main social media these days (@thomskagram), though I’m still on Twitter, or whatever it’s called (@ThomasHTaylor). My website is: http://www.thomastaylor-author.com

Where is the best place for people to buy the Eerie-On-Sea series?

Your local independent bookshop! Or, failing that, any branch of Waterstones. If you would like a signed and drawn-in book, then please order through www.hastingsbookshop.co.uk, and leave a note in the order form. That’s my local indy. Thank you!

Keep your eyes peeled for my review of Mermedusa, the final book in teh series, which is due to go live on the 18th October. That is this Wednesday.

Thank you again Thomas for agreeing to be interviewed for my blog.

Book review: Curious Creatures Talking Together

Title: Curious Creatures Talking Together

Written by: Zoe Armstrong

Illustrated by: Anja Sušanj

Published by: Flying Eye Books

This book covers a fascinating topic in a simple and easy to understand way making it highly accessible to young children. It explains how animals communicate with each other without using words using a range of wild and domestic animals as examples. We just have to learn to understand the signals so we can tell when they are happy, hungry, angry, tired or afraid.

In a fun twist to this it is pointed how haw we can mimic animal behaviour to help us communicate better, from the red stag parallel walking to decide who is the strongest instead of fighting, to the soothing lullaby of the humpback whale. We learn how animals use all their senses. Colour, sound, smell and touch are all important methods of communication and again this is compared to human behaviour.

The illustrations and end pages are bold and eye-catching. On each spread the text is scattered around the page so each animal takes centre stage.

At the end of the book there is an important message of how by increasing our understanding of the different methods of animal communication we can develop our empathy skills.

Other books in the series include:

Curious Creatures Glowing in the Dark
Curious Creatures Working with Tools.

This series would be ideal in the classroom or for home learning to support the programmes of study for science human and animals. In particular, recognising the differences between each other and exploring how senses enable humans and animals to be aware of the world around them.

You can buy copies of the Curious Creatures series by Zoë Armstrong and Anja Susanj from your local bookshop, or online at uk.bookshop.org which supports local, independent bookshops.

I have also shared this review on Amazon and Goodreads.

Blog Tour – Charlotte’s Snowman

Today is my stop on the blog tour for Charlotte’s Snowman by Lainey Dee.

Lainey Dee was born in Birmingham and grew up in Kidderminster, Worcestershire. As well as Charlotte’s Snowman she has also written, Let’s Celebrate Being Different and Rodasauri the Dinosaur’s Trip to London.

She was inspired to write for young people having worked with children for many years. Lainey currently looks after twins aged five years. A huge art deco fan, she lives in an art deco house which is decorated in that period style. In her free time, she enjoys baking and cooking for friends and visiting national trust properties. Her favourite ice cream is strawberry and the strangest place she has slept in was a tepee Texas.

Lainey enjoys using her imagination to invent new stories and characters. She hopes her books will help readers see themselves and the world differently and understand how special they are.

The blurb from the back of the book says:

Children love building snowmen. When they add a nose, eyes, and mouth to their snowman, they get a magical feeling that their snowman has his own personality.
And… sometimes snowmen do come alive!

Charlotte wakes up and sees that it’s snowing… it’s snowing and it’s snowing. She runs outside to build a snowman. She fixes a carrot for the snowman’s nose, a stick for his mouth, and two stones for his eyes.

But the snowman has many demands, so Charlotte has to part with her gloves, scarf and hat; so her snowman wouldn’t feel cold. But the sun comes up all of a sudden, and Charlotte cannot find her snowman anymore. She is sad. Then, she learns that her snowman hasn’t disappeared completely, but is hiding in the ground, waiting to emerge next winter.
Charlotte’s snowman by Lainey Dee

My stop on the tour will take the form of a review.

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Title: Charlotte’s Snowman

Written by: Lainey Dee

Illustrated by: Sarah-Leigh Wills

Published by: KA Books

Charlotte’s Snowman is a quaint, simple story which gently conveys the message of hope and belief using the familiar story of a child building a snowman that melts and the realisation she can build another snowman next year when it snows. The magical twist of the snowman coming to life highlights how children use their imagination to create their own world of enchanting make believe.

I think children from ages 1-5 years will enjoy listening to this story and exploring the charming, bold illustrations. The completed snowman in the hat and scarf with the carrot nose is rather cute. The plot is conveyed in a calm, relaxed way that would be ideal to read at bedtime to help children go to sleep with pleasant dreams.

A great book for helping to explain things may not last forever but there is always hope for the future.

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You can buy copies of Charlotte’s Snowman by Lainey Dee and Sarah-Leigh Wills from Amazon.

You can find out more about Lainey Dee and her books on the SheildCrest Publishing website: https://www.shieldcrest.co.uk/about/featured-authors/lainey-dee

To follow the rest of the tour take a look at the schedule:

I would like to thank Rachel from Rachel’s Random Tour for inviting me to take part in this blog tour.

If you have read any recent children’s picture books with a Christmas theme I would love to hear from you. Let me know of any new Christmas releases in the comments.