I'm very lucky to have been asked to take part in the blog tour for Barbara Henderson's new novel, The Boy, the Witch & the Queen of Scots. Below you can find out more about Barbara's writing process on this fantastic new novel! FROM FIRST FLICKER TO FINISHED BOOK – MY WRITING PROCESS The Boy, the Witch and the Queen of Scots is finally out this week, and I am delighted with the final product! It seems like an age ago that I was wondering to myself: Is there actually a children’s novel about Mary Queen of Scots? As a Drama teacher working in a primary school, I knew that many classroom teachers cover the topic in upper primary, certainly in Scotland where I live. But was there a suitable book to read alongside such a topic? More to the point – was there a historical adventure story for children? Historical adventure seems to me my go-to genre as a writer… My initial search came up with some books – mainly non-fiction, and YA, but nothing fictional in the Middle Grade slot I naturally seem to occupy with my own stories. So, it couldn’t hurt to think about it some more. Time to hit the road! I began by visiting Mary’s residence in Scotland, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, and worked my way along a variety of locations including Linlithgow Palace, Stirling Castle etc. In parallel to this, I immersed myself in reading about the queen best known for her tragic fate. Reading around the topic without a specific agenda can really help to distil a story. I tried to remain open-minded. Now, the first thing I needed was a young protagonist. Middle Grade heroes and heroines are generally 11 or 12 years old. At that age, Mary lived at the French Court, immersed in French culture and language, and with little discernible design of returning to the land of her birth. All my knowledge was based on Scotland. All right – Mary was not going to be my main character. Then who? I decided to focus on the early part of Mary’s reign – her later lengthy imprisonment and eventual execution, while dramatic enough to hook any reader, was a little too depressing for a children’s book (and, let’s face it, me!). And then I came across a reference to the Huntly revolt – a northern Earl sought to manipulate Mary into a counter-reformation and failed. Here was possible villain! More reading threw up reported plots to kidnap Mary and forcibly marry her to his own son, and accusations of witchcraft against his wife. Ohhhhh, perfect villain material! I now had a historical backdrop, a conflict and a villain. But I was still on the lookout for a young protagonist, ideally someone invisible, like a servant. Someone who could be present without being mentioned in historical records. Another research snippet sparked an idea – apparently, Mary Queen of Scots was inordinately fond of falconry and adored hunting with her merlins in particular. What if the Earl gifted her some birds on her arrival? What if he sent a young falconer boy to accompany them, and what if that boy was ordered to remain at court and spy on the Queen for his master? Perfect. Only one problem, I knew nothing about falconry. Time to address that too! Research really is so much fun! At that time, I had enough material to get started and began to write: the fog-shrouded arrival of Mary’s ships in the Port of Leith, Alexander’s errand, the impossibility of his situation. I do not plan like other authors do. It’s important to ensure that I myself remain interested in the story – after all, I am telling it to myself first - and there needs to be an element of surprise. That surprise came in the form of Lizzie, a young seamstress employed at court. My friend and fellow Time Tunneller Ally Sherrick had alerted me to an online lecture on embroidery at Mary Queen of Scots’ court. Until that day, I had no idea that embroidery in a professional sense was the domain of men – and the defiant young Lizzie with dreams of smashing that particular glass ceiling came into my head fully formed. She is the perfect sidekick for my falconer boy Alexander – loyal, interesting, sparky and with a character arc of her own too. It’s always the same: whenever I reach the halfway stage with a manuscript, I have a wobble – and I have written enough now to see the signs. I worry that the story is no good, that no one will want to read it, and that those who do will hate it. I also worry that I may not be able to bring it to a satisfying end. This is the stage when I really must write a synopsis. It’s best not to overthink this. A page or so will sum up the whole book, and often it becomes glaringly obvious what needs to happen in the remainder of the story. Sometimes a synopsis also flags up things in the manuscript which need to go. Once done, I set the file aside for a few days before self-editing until I am happy. Finally, and still before I show the manuscript to anther living soul, I shut the door and read the whole thing aloud to myself. Yes, every word, and yes, aloud! You would not believe the number of clunky phrases and lazy repetitions which jump out at you once you do this. It’s my secret weapon. And then the real work begins: editing with a publisher, finding a title, creating teaching resources, promoting pre- and post-publication, generating event content and a million other things beside. One thing is certain about my writing process. No one day is the same. And to be honest, that’s the way I like it!
0 Comments
I'm very excited to be on the blog tour for the Kingdom of Broken Magic by Christine Aziz! Maggie and Josh are pickpockets, and they are the best of friends. Life at the Scribbens Home for Very Wayward Children is devastating, the owner, Miss Scribbens, is a dastardly, mean person. Yet, the two have each other. That is, until a strange and tantalizing new circus comes to town and Maggie is swept away into a world of magic and nefarious deeds. Josh, determined to find Maggie, heads out on a quest to bring her back. Meanwhile, Maggie becomes obssessed with the circus and its seemingly disappearing performers and pets. This is a funny, diverse and eerie novel filled with magic and adventure. Based on real settings of Victorian circuses and people of colour who worked within them, it's a fascinating and fantastic tale, don't miss it!
Click here to I'm very excited to be on the blog tour for another of Frank Cottrell-Boyce's fantastically funny and heartfelt story, The Wonder Brothers! In this story, we find cousins (not brothers!) Nathan and Middy. Living in Blackpool, they are super excited when a magician comes to town. These two absolutely love magic, Nathan loves the showmanship aspect of it while Middy is more about honing her craft to remove herself from situations that might get her in hot water. The problem is, the magician makes the famous Blackpool Tower disappear! Not to worry, Nathan and Middy promise on live television that they will use magic to make it all come back in one piece! What follows is a hilarious and moving story about magic and friendship, daring and deception. A must read for magic and adventure lovers, very exciting stuff! I'm very excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for Ian Eagleton's new fantastic picture book, "Rory's Room of Rectangles". This is the perfect Father's Day gift, as the cover accurately represents, it's "a story of blended families and big feelings." When Rory's teacher asks the class to make a Father's Day card, it introduces to the reader the fact in 2023, the family dynamic for many children might not be as straight forward as people think. Rory is no exception, he lives with him mother and her new boyfriend Tony. This does not mean he doesn't have contact with his father, in fact it's quite the opposite. Rory spends his weekends happily with his father and this is why the idea of making a Father's Day card is confusing and anxiety-inducing for Rory. He is unsure if he should make a card for Tony or his father and what he ends up doing is making a card that represents his feelings and then tears it into pieces. On Father's Day, Tony takes Rory to an art gallery, and I love how art plays a big role in this wonderful book. Rory sees that some of the art he sees is similar to the pieces of paper he tore up from his card. Tony is a very sensitive person who understands Rory's sadness when it comes to Father's Day. Tony wants him to have a good relationship with his dad and that's why he has a surprise for him after they leave the art gallery. This is a very sensitive and empathy-building story for ages 4+ that I cannot recommend enough. I think it will be a staple in school and public libraries and classrooms. The Young Inventor of the Year Award is up for grabs and Esha Verma is determined to win it. She's already invented some amazing things with her apprentice Broccoli like Boomers, The Inviz Whiz and the Glo-Pro. The problem? Her parents have banned her from ever inventing again after a few...mistakes. Then Goospa the alien arrives on the scene and everything changes. Esha realises, after making another, fairly massive mistake, that it's not just the Young Inventor Award on the line, it's the entire planet. Now it's up to her and her new friend, a grumpy alien named Nix, to save the world. This is a funny, fast paced and wonderfully illustrated story for ages 8+. I really recommend it! I'm very excited to be a part of the Rivet Boy Blog Tour with such amazing other bloggers and reviewers!
Based on real events, Rivet Boy is set in 1889 when Scotland built a true wonder - it's Fourth Rail Bridge. The bridge was voted Scotland's greatest man-made wonder in 2016 and is considered a true symbol of Scottish ingenuity and workmanship. The book follows a boy named John, who is twelve when he gets a job as a riveter on the bridge. He knows it's not a safe job, four children have already fallen to their deaths working on it. By the end of its construction, 73 people died making the Fourth Rail Bridge. John, however, has no choice but to work because his father is no longer around and he must create an income for his family if they are going to survive. There's just one issue, John is deathly afraid of heights, not a good start to someone who has to work on a bridge of this size. On his journey John finds solace in a squirrel friend, a new library that's been built and Cora, someone he can relay his fears and worries to. However, nothing is smooth sailing when he's sent to work with a group that is tough, mean and with a bully for a boss. It's a very hard life, and John must learnt to navigate it without getting himself hurt or even worse. Loved this story, a thrilling read on a topic I knew nothing about, I very much recommend it! When Nora was very young, she used to see rainbow-coloured animals in the periphery of her vision. This is something that came to her like a dream, yet it wasn't a dream. Now, as she's somewhat older, she's starting to see the animals again. What they mean to her is a mystery. What she does know is that her mum is suffering, some days are good, some are bad and some are really bad. Her mum has PTSD, and Nora tries her best to keep things running as smooth as she can in a home that seems more and more unstable by the day. When she meets Kwame, she finds a kindred spirit, and together they seek out the mystery of the rainbow-coloured animals that Nora sees. This is a heartbreaking novel. It is also a novel full of hope, anyone who has lived with someone with PTSD will instantly connect to it. Anyone who has ever felt lost or uncomfortable in their own skin will also feel a connection. It takes look at denial, grief, sadness, hopelessness and helps you as a reader make sense of it. I loved it, essential reading for ages 10+. I'm very excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for Ian Eagleton's new novel, The Woodcutter and the Snow Prince! This is a beautifully illustrated novel with LGBTQ+ themes that should be on every school library shelf! Kai is a woodcutter, but he's lonely, every Christmas eve he carves a wooden statue for anyone who passes him by. However, people rarely do. Then, one fateful Christmas Eve night, he's met by the Snow Prince. The Prince helps Kai with his loneliness but himself is struggling. The Prince is feared by many people, but Kai sees him as someone not to be feared, but to be respected. Then, the Prince freezes once more, sealed in his icy prison because of a terrible curse that has been bestowed upon him. Now, it's up to Kai to try and break the curse, but is he going to be too late? This is a really beautiful action-adventure filled with magic and wonder. A classic-retelling of the Snow Queen fairy tale, it's full of gorgeous illustrations and realistic characters. I highly recommend this novel, perfect for a cold winter evening! |
Categories
All
Follow These Guys: 100 Scope Notes No Flying No Tights Pretty Books Reading Rants! Sophisticated Dorkiness Teen Librarian |