The Kidlit interview Series
Children's fiction encompasses some of the most imaginative, well-written books out there, so every Tuesday I shine a spotlight on it by interviewing a different middle-grade author. Find super-talented writers answering crucial questions like who they'd want riding alongside come the zombie apocalypse...
My final guest is the lovely Paula Harrison, am ex-primary school teacher who was discovered in the Nosy crow slushpile. Paula wrote the Rescue Princesses series - about a gang of girls who rescue animals using cunning, bravery, and ninja moves - which has been successful in the US, UK and Australia and is now being translated into Italian and Hebrew.
Paula's MG Red Moon Rising will be published by Nosy Crow in April 2015. Laney discovers a secret community of faeries living in her village and finds out that she's one of them. A blood-red moon signals the start of her problems. In the sequel, Dark Wood Shining, the enmity between the different tribes deteriorates into war.
Paula's MG Red Moon Rising will be published by Nosy Crow in April 2015. Laney discovers a secret community of faeries living in her village and finds out that she's one of them. A blood-red moon signals the start of her problems. In the sequel, Dark Wood Shining, the enmity between the different tribes deteriorates into war.
THE HERE BE DRAGONS 8 KILLER QUESTIONS
1. Uh oh, it’s the zombie apocalypse. Which author (living or dead) do you want riding shotgun?
Definitely Mary Shelley (author of Frankenstein, of course). She understood the dark side of human nature and if we ended up hiding out somewhere, I'd love to ask her about life with her poet husband and about Byron and other writers she knew. I kinda wish she'd written more novels so perhaps I could take some pens and paper into the hideout for her.
2. Look, I got a time machine on eBay! Where do you want to go? (Said time machine may possibly malfunction and leave you there. Possibly. It was *very* cheap.)
Forward! I want to know what's next. (I always squeeze my presents before Christmas so I know what I'm getting.)
3. What’s your favourite thing about writing for kids?
Nothing is too crazy. Nothing is too unusual. You can let loose your ideas.
4. A witch has cast a spell on you (sorry about that) and you’ve woken up as a character in a children’s book – what’s your special talent or power?
I'm made of instantly re-growing gingerbread so that I can eat bits of myself if I get hungry.
5. What’s the scariest or strangest thing you’ve ever done?
Ooh, hard! If I'm really honest, giving birth the first time was pretty scary. Strange? Well I once sang 'Skip to my loo' to avoid being attacked by a crocodile. Does that count?
6. What’s something you wish you’d known about writing when you started out? What’s something you wish you’d known about publishing?
I wish I'd known that the people you meet along the way will be one of the best things about writing - odd for such a solitary profession but we really do need each other.
7. What would your daemon be?
A duck. Sometimes I fly and sometimes I paddle, and I can be a bit quackers.
8. My books don’t have dragons, but they do have... people who can shoot lightning out of their fingers. Also (being more serious now) they explore how identity evolves and how people are tribal.
Definitely Mary Shelley (author of Frankenstein, of course). She understood the dark side of human nature and if we ended up hiding out somewhere, I'd love to ask her about life with her poet husband and about Byron and other writers she knew. I kinda wish she'd written more novels so perhaps I could take some pens and paper into the hideout for her.
2. Look, I got a time machine on eBay! Where do you want to go? (Said time machine may possibly malfunction and leave you there. Possibly. It was *very* cheap.)
Forward! I want to know what's next. (I always squeeze my presents before Christmas so I know what I'm getting.)
3. What’s your favourite thing about writing for kids?
Nothing is too crazy. Nothing is too unusual. You can let loose your ideas.
4. A witch has cast a spell on you (sorry about that) and you’ve woken up as a character in a children’s book – what’s your special talent or power?
I'm made of instantly re-growing gingerbread so that I can eat bits of myself if I get hungry.
5. What’s the scariest or strangest thing you’ve ever done?
Ooh, hard! If I'm really honest, giving birth the first time was pretty scary. Strange? Well I once sang 'Skip to my loo' to avoid being attacked by a crocodile. Does that count?
6. What’s something you wish you’d known about writing when you started out? What’s something you wish you’d known about publishing?
I wish I'd known that the people you meet along the way will be one of the best things about writing - odd for such a solitary profession but we really do need each other.
7. What would your daemon be?
A duck. Sometimes I fly and sometimes I paddle, and I can be a bit quackers.
8. My books don’t have dragons, but they do have... people who can shoot lightning out of their fingers. Also (being more serious now) they explore how identity evolves and how people are tribal.
That is definitely one of my favourite strangest things ever! *makes note to sing to crocodiles* Find out more about Paula and her books on her website and on Twitter.
This will be the last Here Be Dragons for a while, I hope you've enjoyed it! I hope to start the series up again on a slightly less regular basis in 2015, probably encompassing YA too. So if you're an MG or YA author interested in being interviewed, let me know.
