The Kidlit Interview Series
Children's literature encompasses some of the most imaginative, entertaining, well-written fiction out there, so every Tuesday I shine a spotlight on it by interviewing a different middle-grade author. Come back regularly to find writers answering crucial questions like who they'd want riding alongside come the zombie apocalypse...
This week's honorary dragon is the brilliant Sarah Crossan, who writes novels for children and teens. Her latest contemporary novel, Apple and Rain, is published by Bloomsbury. Her debut novel in verse, The Weight of Water, won a heap of awards and was shortlisted for the prestigious Carnegie medal and German Youth Prize. Her dystopian teen novel, Breathe, was also nominated for the Carnegie medal. Before writing full time, Sarah worked as an English teacher. She grew up in Dublin and London and now lives in Hertfordshire with her family.
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?
Let’s have Sarah J Maas. I had dinner with her recently and she is fearless in a multitude of ways. Plus, she seems to know a load of stuff about zombies.
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.)
I want to go into the future to a time when women are equal to men and The Sun newspaper has been forced to get rid of page 3. Ah, that’s better, thanks!
3. What’s your favourite thing about writing for kids?
I was a school teacher, so I think I know young people pretty well. All they want is for someone to say, “You’re ok.” So that’s what I do. I like doing that.
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?
Brilliant! Thanks, Witchy. I can now wrinkle my nose and teleport anywhere in the world. So many of my friends live in America, Greece and elsewhere and I MISS THEM!
5. What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever done?
I’m a cowardly lion. I live in a marshmallow house. I eat only blended mush. I never go outside when it’s raining. I’m serious!
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 thought that being published would solve all my life’s problems, but it hasn’t yet. I feel I’ve been cheated. Writing doesn’t make anything clearer either. It all just gets tougher!
7. What would your daemon be?
Oh, oh, oh, I’ll have a Ruby Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy please. Sorry, a daemon, you say?
8. My books don’t have dragons, but they do have… actually, despite being a contemporary YA, my work in progress DOES have a Dragon of sorts. Watch this space folks!
Let’s have Sarah J Maas. I had dinner with her recently and she is fearless in a multitude of ways. Plus, she seems to know a load of stuff about zombies.
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.)
I want to go into the future to a time when women are equal to men and The Sun newspaper has been forced to get rid of page 3. Ah, that’s better, thanks!
3. What’s your favourite thing about writing for kids?
I was a school teacher, so I think I know young people pretty well. All they want is for someone to say, “You’re ok.” So that’s what I do. I like doing that.
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?
Brilliant! Thanks, Witchy. I can now wrinkle my nose and teleport anywhere in the world. So many of my friends live in America, Greece and elsewhere and I MISS THEM!
5. What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever done?
I’m a cowardly lion. I live in a marshmallow house. I eat only blended mush. I never go outside when it’s raining. I’m serious!
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 thought that being published would solve all my life’s problems, but it hasn’t yet. I feel I’ve been cheated. Writing doesn’t make anything clearer either. It all just gets tougher!
7. What would your daemon be?
Oh, oh, oh, I’ll have a Ruby Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy please. Sorry, a daemon, you say?
8. My books don’t have dragons, but they do have… actually, despite being a contemporary YA, my work in progress DOES have a Dragon of sorts. Watch this space folks!
*hurriedly books ticket to Sarah's to eat her marshmallow house* Find out more about Sarah and her books on Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr.
Come back next Tuesday for the Here Be Dragons interview with Gail Nall,
author of Breaking the Ice!
author of Breaking the Ice!
