A Whodunnit ... A Tale Older Than Time ...

Since Kristyna Litten is taking us back to Berona with Bearlock Holmes and Ivy, I felt it was time to have a Q&A so we can all learn more about this wonderful world, its characters and the inspiration behind it all. I hope you enjoy reading Kristyna's answers which are quite wonderful! With thanks to Kristyna for taking the time to give us such full answers and to Sophie Griffiths at Magic Cat for making this possible. The Bearlock Holmes books ~ 1 & 2, can be found in all the places you buy your books!

To begin, a question which might be obvious – are you a Sherlock Holmes / detective novels fan? What is it about the genre that appeals? Of course, and I must admit I am drawn to any Sherlock spin offs too. I just find attempting to come up with possible suspects and theories of my own incredibly appealing, even when i’m wrong. But incredibly satisfying when you're right.

I feel like detective novels really take me on a journey and keep my busy mind engaged like no other genre, but I also enjoy the conversation they fuel amongst friends reading the same book. My guilty pleasure holiday read is definitely a Detective thriller by Clare Mackintosh.

The Bearlock link seems quite recognizable, but Ivy is less so, is her name significant or was it just one you liked when you knew Bearlock needed an assistant? Before the Sherlock link was established, I had character sketches of a grandad and granddaughter who accidentally found themselves in the middle of cases or mysteries that they set upon themselves to solve. I really liked the relationship they had with one another and definitely wanted to carry that through as I developed the series concept.

The name Ivy was picked to portray the characters love of nature and caring for the environment (a theme that runs throughout the series.) A Watson like character of similar age to Bearlock just didn’t seem to feel in harmony with the rest of the format.

What was the inspiration for choosing a grandfather / granddaughter dynamic / partnership? As I began to think more about how I wanted to tell these stories, it seemed natural that we would have an older character to pass on his vast knowledge and detective skills to a younger generation - his granddaughter. I often thought about my relationship with my Granddad who’s passion for gardening and love of nature was passed down to me.

This is also why Bearlock is a much warmer character than Sherlock and why I decided to make the main characters bears. I felt Grandpa had quite cuddly and calm presence and he needed to be someone Ivy could take comfort in, just how I felt with my own grandad when he held my hand with huge hands.

The pair balance each other and make a great detective duo too. Bearlock teaches Ivy how to begin case or reminds Ivy not to give up if a case gets tough and that taking a break can often focus the mind (tips he has learnt as the recently retired, great detective Bearlock.) Ivy loves learning new things and absorbs the facts, facts the reader is learning alongside the reader who is likely the same age as Ivy.

When you created these characters did you have an idea in mind of how many adventures they would have / you would like them to have? Alongside the characters, I was developing a city in which Bearlock lives, Bearona. We see a map of this in the beginning of each book, highlighting the main locations, but of course I hoped we would explore beyond the places visited in book one - The Case Of The Missing Flower. So, as I was writing book 1, I was already beginning to think of interesting places to add to the map for potential future adventures.

I have always had an interest in architecture (with a few architects in my family) and new a lot of inspiration from visits to central European cities so I like to pay particular attention to the buildings Ivy and Bearlock visit. I’m really looking forward to showing you the observatory and I really hope I have the opportunity to show more.

There is story, illustrations and puzzles, can you tell us more about it all comes together? Is there an order you create in to ensure it all fits? It was really important to me that the puzzles and non-fiction elements of the book felt fully integrated into the story, and that they offered up clues and information in the case to drive the narrative along. It was quite tricky at first to get this all right.

I tend not to work to a set formula as I feel for me that stunts my creativity. Instead, I prefer to have my sketch book to my side and if anything comes to mind, whether that be an educational theme, a character, thought for a scene or a puzzle, I sketch it down immediately. I then look through and pluck out what ideas I like bring my case together along with what educational areas I want to cover. The development of the puzzles is usually the last piece of the jigsaw, but absolutely one of my favourite parts of the books to do.

This is Bearlock and Ivy’s second adventure and it features dinosaurs. Did you want to appeal widely to young people who seem to all adore dinosaur related stories? There are few young people in my life who love dinosaurs. Just seeing how excited they are to tell me about all different dinosaurs and facts they know about them made me enthusiastic to write a dino inspired detective story.

We will have at least three books - the next in 2027. Do you see series as being important to young, early readers, helping them to build familiarity and a love of reading? I hope so. I feel like I am bringing something new with my blend of fiction, graphic novel real life facts and puzzles. It sounds like I’m trying to get a lot into each book, but I knew from the beginning that I wanted to create a book that was engaging, relatable and would appeal to the most reluctant readers, one where I wanted the reader to feel as if they were not just reading about the adventures but actually participating in solving the mysteries too. I hope that I have achieved that.

The environmental theme is very gently dealt with. How did you create that effect without being overwhelming or preaching? I think these are themes that children this age are already beginning to think and are concerned about. The format of a case allows the facts and messages to be delivered as evidence, making the reader feel like they are learning and solving a case alongside Ivy and Bearlock instead of it feeling solely forced upon them. I think it also allows me to gently inform the reader about what small parts they can play, without it all feeling overwhelming.

Did you ‘have’ to do some research into dinosaur fossils / thieves to make the story realistic and accurate?

Definitely. I can’t say I remembered all that much from my school days. But it was a perfect excuse to buy more books, but also a really good idea to refresh myself on the facts. As the format delivers real life ‘facts’ they all need to absolutely correct and easily digestible. As an avid gardener the facts came quite naturally to me in book 1, but I certainly did more research when writing this 2nd case. Luckily all the facts are then checked too

What, in your mind, is the key to a good detective story? Suspense, drama, peril, surprise. That’s my story writing check list. The nature of Ivy and Bearlock is also a cozy detective journey, so doesn’t venture into scary or gruesome territory. I don’t like detective stories were the conclusion is so far-fetched and bizarre. I like that with Ivy and Bearlock the answer/ suspect always makes sense in the end with the facts, so I can achieve an “oh yeah” moment with the reader. You can also ways flip back too and spot plenty of little hidden hints and clues in the illustrations that don’t seem obviously relevant on the first read.

If you could have been a detective, or detective’s sidekick who would you have been and why? That’s a tough one. But if I lived in Bearona I reckon I would be a mouse character. Small petite, having (in my opinion) conserved the expert hide and seek skills of my youth, I would be great at sneaking about and following potential suspects. And just like Watson I feel like I would be a good judge of people and emotions rather than just looking at cold hard facts, like the logic driven Holmes.