Today, in Caithness, the sun is shining and the air is clear. I'm sure it will come as no surprise to anyone reading this blog that, certain weathers and certain times of the year ignite certain music in me. And, on late winter days which are filled with sunshine, I am usually to be found singing the songs of The Spinners . Inevitably, I start humming different ones of their songs (and of course adapting them to be about Orlando and Jess) as I go around doing different things. But I remember almost all the words to them. I haven't heard a lot of them in years, but they are all there, rooted in my memory. It is truly fascinating to think about how these songs have passed through history. They are part of my own nostalgia, which is why crisp sunny mornings make me incapable of ignoring the temptation to sing them, but they are part of something much bigger. There are songs amongst them which are a newer step in the folk music movement. Songs like Silver in the Stubble are amongs...
We're always growing as authors. When I go back and look at my first book, Day's Dying Glory, I can see how my writing has evolved - and certainly my books have grown, by some 10,000 words! This year, my historical fiction journey is taking quite a nerve-racking turn as Autumn will see the publication of my first book for children... This is something which is scary for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, most of my books feature the sort of events I wouldn't want children reading! The continued debate about trigger-warnings on books rages on and, while I do not write about these things graphically or gratuitously, those dark events are as much a part of my books as they are of history. You can't shy away from them, and they are what give the characters that push into becoming who their destiny - and the story! - demands. We can't delve into some of these events in a children's book. But neither can we ignore the dark events which happened - eeek! Dilemma!
Secondly, the books we meet and enjoy as children, whether read alone or read to us, are the stories which set us on our paths for life. What a responsibility! I've had conversations with so many adults who have been searching for the books they recall from childhood but are unsure of their titles. In some cases, I've managed to reunite them with their beloved books, but as many are unknown to me.
I began writing The Plague Rebels because I was asked by a local schoolteacher to write a book for her class topic of Medieval Scotland. She had tried out different MG books on the topic, but the children had not engaged with them. I accepted the challenge and I am so pleased I did!
I don't remember World Book Day as a thing when I was a child, but even if I had, I don't think I could ever have a better World Book Day than this year. Why? Because of this:
This is a display of the favourite characters of each of the P4 class who are reading The Plague Rebels. So writing for children might be so much trickier and more difficult, but I don't think I've ever done any writing more rewarding!
These deserve a few close-ups, I think...
Meet John the Cobbler (an odd choice for favourite, but he's certainly an important character!). I was pleased to discover this had also sparked a class discussion about what a cobbler did.
…about John the cobbler who had recently been married to Mistress Ada on the northern hillside by a mystical figure.
Then we have Father Giles - just look at these vestments! I love them!
As though sent from heaven, Father Giles stepped behind her and lifted his hand to the gathered mob.
One person even chose Lord Malcolm the Sheriff as their favourite, despite the fact he is the baddie! But they got his house perfect.
David smiled. "Not to Lord Malcolm," he chuckled. "I wouldn't ask him to feed me. He'd probably poison me."
Three of them liked Lady Agatha best. One even remembered that the story talks about her having cats.
"I saw her at the kirk," Matilda said with a smile. "She was fearless. She came out to confront the mob."
"She is a very strong woman,” Moonlight Finn agreed. "A great role-model if you were looking for one, little lambkin. Did you know she refused to marry Lord Malcolm?"
I was pleased to find that a number of them liked David best, and one of them correctly identified that he is very sneaky!
Her first surprise was that it was a boy. The voice had been so hushed and gentle, Matilda had expected a young woman. Next, she was surprised to find that his eyes studied her as thoughtfully as she was studying them. And they were frightening eyes. They were wild and blue, even in the night light of the moon. She was about to step away from them, but he caught her wrist and laughed again.
And, of course, the main character Matilda was the chosen character of quite a few!
"There she is!" shouted the woman, and one of the men rushed forward, brandishing a burning torch in his hand.
Matilda ran. She rushed from the house, which she had almost reached, and scrambled over the wooden gate. Tucking her woollen skirt in at the drawstring waist, she sped across the field, over another gate, and up the hillside beyond. The sheep parted before her, revealing her hiding place to her assailants which, she realised with growing fear, now numbered eight people. She sat beside one of the streams which ran down the hill and shuffled into the hollow beneath the roots of a clawing alder tree.
But the person who got the most votes was Moonlight Finn, the mysterious and grumpy alchemist... I think I would have chosen him, too!
"Why is he called Moonlight?"
"It's what he wears," David answered. "He doesn't often go into the village but, when he does, the people say his clothes shine like moonlight. No one knows why."
There is no wonder people love writing for children when we get such a fantastic response! I bet most of us remember at least one book which spoke to us as a child, shaped us, and turned us into who we are today. I can't help but wonder whether, thirty years from now, one of these children will be hunting out a copy of The Plague Rebels as a book which had a great impact on them.
Happy World Book Day, Readers!
Great blog! Really enjoyed reading this - thank you.
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