Unlikely Heroes
What can you tell us about your book Unlikely Heroes?
The story is set around Peter and his younger sister Emily who is told by their family’s solicitor that they are to bequeath their Grandfathers property who went missing under mysterious circumstances some years earlier. They are told they must make their way down to Devon where their Grandfather had lived. The one stipulation is that they do not tell their sole remaining guardian Aunt Mabel about their adventure. They arrive at Taunton station where a stranger drives them to their destination. It is there they find a set of scrolls neatly laid out on a table with each one numbered individually. Following them precisely they walk to the bottom of the garden where Emily reads the first of a series of riddles. A door suddenly appears where they meet Brittlerack a contentious Gnome who is out for what he can get and agrees to be their guide through the land of Melodrama. For every challenge that is met successfully they must tackle the next of the riddles until they eventually fulfill their quest. Though Peter and Emily have a role to play, all won’t be revealed until they complete the last of their challenges. Every thousand years and a bit the winds come and listen to the various arguments of who will govern Melodrama over the next millennium and a bit more. To their surprise and delight they find their Grandfather is a wizard that is alive and well.
The battle for Melodrama is about to begin and while Brittlerack and Emily have played their part, Peter realizes that the future of Melodrama could rest on his young shoulders. The battle between good and evil is drawing ever closer, but before the fighting begins Peter and Emily are even more shocked to see their Aunt Mabel who has her own ideas about how Melodrama should be ruled. For Peter and Emily however all they want to do is go back home but that choice is out of their hands as it is up to the winds to agree if their quest has been successful before they are deemed fit to fulfill their destiny’s back home.
What made you want to focus on the the loss of parents for the two key characters?
From being an only child I found that though could make friends easily there were times when all I had for company was my imagination. It was when my Mother died in my early teens that I sought to escape the boundaries of reality.
I did this through television, in particular Sci-Fi. But it wasn’t until I read Bed knobs and Broomsticks that I imagined what it would be like to live in an alternative reality.
What attracted you to write a story magical realism?
Again I was fascinated with Space and what was out there. Though we have a colorful history here on earth I always felt even, as a child, that until we met another civilization from another part of the universe we still couldn’t be sure of what role, if any, we played in the universe. That’s what I like about books in a chosen subject. Whether it be History, Physics, Medicine or in my case Children’s Fantasy, Sci- Fi and Science fact, if the interest is there you will learn and in my case particularly it fuels my imagination where time and space does indeed become irrelevant. Whether I’m reading or writing I’m fortunate enough to be able to get lost in both.
What is the appeal of writing for children for you?
Children in general have a vivid imagination. Whatever their surroundings they can make the most of any situation. A box can be a pirate or spaceship and a stick can be their sword or lightsabre. I love their innocence in what they think is real and that’s all that matters to them. As we get older I think we become more cynical and get bogged down by reality. We can be guilty of being driven solely by ambition thinking we need to get somewhere. Though we all want the best for our children, buying them off with material things doesn’t compensate for just a few minutes of your precious time. Though people say being a child at heart gives people like me an edge you still have to strike a balance when it comes to the real world.
What were your favourite reads when you were young?
As I mentioned earlier, Bedknobs and Broomsticks was my first read and is still one of my favorites. Then of course there was Peter Pan and Alice through the Looking Glass amongst others. Though I read Lord of the Rings in my early teens, I found I could relate more to the Hobbit at that particular time in my life.
Where did your inspiration for the story come from?
A combination of books and certain films over the years that are now deemed as classics helped to fuel my imagination. It was only when I had some of my poetry published late in life that my family encouraged me to take things to the next level. Having recently made a fairy garden in a shaded area in our own garden gave me the idea to write Unlikely Heroes.
What are the key ingredients for authors who want to write for children?
The key ingredients that work for me in writing for Children are bucket loads of imagination and something that has an underlying message. With Unlikely Heroes for example it’s not only about the battle between good and evil but how things can change if you were to intervene. Whether that is for better or worse ultimately depends on what perspective you tend to view it from.
What is your writing process?
Sometimes when I have an idea I try to write something down every day to see if I can develop it. Other times I might dream something and write it down before I forget. This was how Unlikely Heroes became my first Children’s Book.
Why do you think mythical creatures such as fairies, elves and wizards are so popular in fiction?
You can immerse yourself in an alternative reality be it fact or fiction. However when it comes to Wizards, Elves, fairies etc. there are no limits to where your imagination can take you. There really is no substitute for the good fairy and the evil wicked old witch. I think in a bizarre way it mirrors our own reality in the world we perceive to live in.
What is next for you?
Well depending on how Unlikely Heroes is received then maybe I could follow it up with Peter and Emily returning to Melodrama as adults. At present I’m putting the finishing touches to a series of short stories each with a supernatural theme.
I started a book aimed at the adult market a few years ago when I was taking my first tentative steps into the world of literature. This is a work in progress.
Though you learn something new every day in life I feel that I’m now ready to finish this particular project. Or at least that is until the powers that be decide otherwise by throwing another idea for a Children’s Book at me.