Jen Williams' The Sleepless and The Dreamless are a dreamy, addictive duology! A combination of thriller, horror, folklore and, at their core the beauty of the connections we can make through our natural world. I fell in love with the books, their characters (the good and the more ambiguous) and for once I loved the open-ended conclusion (I usually like a good, wrapped up ending)... Read on to learn more about all of this from Jen Williams herself. With thanks to Jen and Ca

Louise was fortunate to have an opportunity to ask author Louise Gooding some questions about her daydreamer, Davey and his very special book. It's a book important to me, giving me something I didn't have as a child and allowing me to share it with children, to show them they are important and wonderful as they are. Louise's answers are insightful and she has a question for us at the end too... The title hints at alliteration. Was it your intention, to draw in readers for wh

When I shared my questions with Louise Austin, author of Alex Abbot, I also mentioned how much I enjoyed reading the book to which Louise responded ~ I’m so glad you enjoyed it - the book is the first in a series, so there will be more of Alex’s paranormal adventures to come! Alex is ‘Undead’ according to the title. Did you prefer that descriptor to a title revealing Alex as a vampire? I think the title suits the blend of peril and humour in the book, but there is another g

What If There Were No Humans On Earth? began as part of a project for my MA course. For many years, I had wanted to create a picture book, suitable for children aged 6–12 or teenagers. It was an ambition I had carried with me since my bachelor's degree. The idea began to take shape when I came across a series of photographs by Dmitry Kokh, documenting polar bears living in an abandoned meteorological station in the Arctic Circle. I was immediately moved by the story behind

Detective stories are a wonderful test for the brain of the reader but how does the author set about creating a mystery that will hold attention and not be too easy to solve? Kristyna Litten has created a world and characters for her very own detective novels. She hasn't stopped there, she's also given us plenty of real-life facts to ponder too. If you haven't yet then now is the time to discover Bearona, to meet Ivy & Bearlock Holmes and first, of course, to read more about

My thanks to Eva and to Amber Ivatt at Hot Key Books for making this possible. When I sent these questions to Eva I thanked her for a fantastic book, her response ~ Thank you so much! These questions were a delight to answer and I’m so happy you enjoyed reading the book as much as I did writing it! Warmly, Eva I love the title, its layered meaning. What came first for you, title or story and is that how it usually works? Thank you! The story came to me first. Titles are not

Boo! Sorry if I startled you. I leapt out sans-intro in keeping with my new book, but it’s only me - Jeanne Willis, veteran children’s author who should know better than to make people jump. Apparently, I was a very anxious baby - if anyone peered into my pram with a sudden ‘coochee-coo,’ I’d spring up, shriek and crack my head on the string of plastic ducks dangling above me. It explains so much. Finally, I’m getting my revenge… A Little Spooky Who Said Boo? is a littl