What
genre do you write and why?
I have been writing primarily
for children as my ‘Spidergate’ series was the first that was accepted for
publication (apart from individual poems), but I love to explore all aspects of
writing. I have experimented with picture books, early readers, YA/Sci-fantasy
but currently I’m working on an adult
novel ‘The Snow Globe’, which is considerably different
from my previous work!
Do you read your book
reviews? How do you deal with the bad or good ones?
Yes, I read them. If there are any negative
comments (and thankfully there have been very few so far!) then I try to
understand what the reviewer is saying, and if it’s a style issue, then I would
bear that in mind for future work. There has been one instance, however, when
the comments were so bizarre that I wondered if the person had actually read
the book!
The feedback from children is by far the best as they
are so refreshingly honest and, thankfully, have all been complimentary. I also
worked with several groups of children during the writing/editing phases of all
the books which meant that I was able to change anything that they didn’t like,
or that they didn’t understand, before I submitted for publication. Well worth
the effort!
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| https://amzn.to/2M1hhpQ |
I love the freedom of
the imagination in creating magical characters (for the children’s work),
settings or plot lines. That moment,
when a niggling thought becomes a semi-formed idea, which then morphs into a
plot, is fabulous. I also enjoy the research aspect as I like to use mythology
or folk tales from around the world to inform or underpin my children’s work.
Who
is your favourite character in your book and why?
In ‘The
Captain’s Favourite Treasure’, I would have to choose the Jigs and the Saws. They appear to be such
lively characters and the island where they live is so colourful. From my other
books, I would pick Amara, the wise woman in ‘Ben and the Spider Lake
Who designed
the cover?
For ‘The Captain’s Favourite Treasure’ the illustrator was
Sharon Davey (Creative Fox). She did all the illustrations, including the
covers. Feedback has been really positive so far.
For the ‘Spidergate’ books, I was so fortunate that the
publishers introduced me to Michael Avery who did the covers and illustrations
for all three books. He totally understood my concept of the characters, the
settings (in both the real and the magical worlds) and added a whole new
dimension to the books that the children I’ve spoken to have totally embraced.
When and where
do you write?
I write at my desk most of the time. It’s in a small bedroom
that I’ve converted into an office. I have lots of books around me and some
large owl stickers on the wall in front of me! When I’m in the early planning
stages I’ll write anywhere, using a notebook and pencil.
I find it impossible to have a set time for writing each
day. I know that this works for lots of writers, but I guess I’m just not
disciplined enough! However, when I do create that time to write, I can often
achieve anything up to seven thousand words in a day (that’s an eight to
ten-hour writing day). Of course, like any writer, I might discard/edit a fair
proportion of this, but it works for me. I don’t want to feel that I have to write, but that I want to write. If it ever became a
chore, then I’d stop and simply read.
However, even though I don’t write every day, I do try to engage with the story/
characters/plot line. For example, I often talk to my characters, or even
role-play, so that I can develop them a little more – get into their skin, if
you like. It also helps with dialogue.
Are you a
plotter or a pantser?
I don’t make specific
plans but I generally have the story outline, and sometimes quite a bit of
detail, in my head before I even put pencil to paper. As I said earlier I like
to talk to my characters. I do plan
things like time sequences, for example, as I have to make sure that I don’t
make mistakes or create something that isn’t believable. I also had to bear in
mind with the ‘Spidergate’ series that two of the main characters are seven
years old so there are many places they wouldn’t be able to go, or things they
couldn’t do, at that age. Although there’s a magical element to the stories,
they do have a basic everyday setting, so I had to ensure that it was
realistic. For Tom, in ‘The Captain’s Favourite Treasure’,
I gave him more freedom to roam, as this is more of a fantasy tale.
What is your
work in progress? Tell us about it.
I have another book
for children, ‘Molly and the Magic Mirror’ (8-11 age group) mapped out and part
one (of three) is written, with parts two and three in progress. I’ve written three of a collection of short
stories about ‘The
Adventures of Brian, the Happy Banana’. I also have two adult novels
partially written and I’ve been concentrating on one of them, ‘The Snow Globe’
which explores the nature/nurture question. I had to write a very short pitch for it recently,
and came up with this: Three generations, three decades, and six
lives that crisscross or run parallel, but all connected and affected by the
welfare system, addiction, deceit, coercion, loss, betrayal, friendship or
hope. They try to move on or seek answers, but no-one knows the whole truth.
The snow globe is the only link that can unravel their stories. I hope to have a working draft completed
within the next few months which means that the other work will take a back
seat.
Who or what inspired
you to become a writer?
My mother read to me a lot when I was little and I was reading simple text myself
by the time I was four. I’ve never lost my love of reading and can be quite
greedy with it! I remember writing short poems and stories, and even plays,
from the age of seven, and I loved making up stories to tell my friends
and my younger brother. Later on, most of my creative energy went into English
essays but it wasn’t until I started an Humanities degree that I had any formal
creative writing experience.
As an adult, initially I focused on poetry and my dissertation was a
collection of poems with commentary. After that I did an M.Phil. (Literature)
but that was a research project, rather than my own writing. I went on some
residential writing courses, mostly for poetry, and published some in journals.
I was also placed second in a magazine short story competition, but then I
started lecturing at my local university and work, and academic writing, took
over. It wasn’t until I took early retirement and joined a writing group that I
started creative writing again with any real purpose. Since then I’ve had a
highly commended and a second place in Writer’s Forum magazine poetry
competitions, written six books for children (four published, one submitted for
publication and one being edited), begun a new book for older girls, and have
two adult novels partly written! It’s been quite a productive time but I don’t
think that I would have done half (if any) of it without the support and encouragement
of my family, the writing group, and then the writing circle that I’ve been
involved with.
Inspiration for the
children’s books came from my love of nature and the environment, plus my
continued interest in mythology and magic. The starting point for the ‘Ben’
books was story cubes. I also find them useful if I’m stuck midway with a piece
of writing as they can suggest which direction to take. As for other work –
inspiration can strike anytime or anywhere! Overheard conversations; fellow
passengers; quirky advertising or unusual sayings or phrases.
When
you’re not writing, how do you spend your time?
Angela Esme Fish
Author
books for children
children's author
children's books
Interview
Jo Linsdell
kidlit
picture story books
The Captain’s Favourite Treasure
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