Gabrielle Cliff-Hodges interviews Kevin Crossley-Holland What advice do you think it is helpful to give young writers? Firstly, write every day. Have a notebook and write in jokes, little bits and bobs, things you’ve overheard on the tops of buses, beginnings of stories, character sketches. Learn to use language. Don’t try and write a history…
Gillian Cross won the 1990 Carnegie Medal for her book Wolf and the 1992 Whitbread Children’s Book Award for her novel The Great Elephant Chase. She is also the author of The Demon Headmaster series of books which have been turned into television series by the BBC. Where does your inspiration come from? Many different places. I’m very curious about…
After studying English at Keble College, Oxford, Frank Cottrell Boyce joined the writing team at Coronation Street. His career now spans screen, theatre and novel. He has collaborated with several film directors, including Michael Winterbottom (Forget About Me, Butterfly Kiss, Welcome to Sarajevo, The Claim, 24 Hour Party People and Code 46), Danny Boyle (Millions) and Anand…
Tracey Corderoy is an award winning children’s writer who has published over 35 books since 2010. After training as a primary teacher she taught at schools in Swindon and Cirencester before leaving the profession to start a family. Several years later, Corderoy started working with children in primary schools; where she implemented literacy programmes and…
Joseph Coelho is a performance poet and playwright. He has written plays for the Polka Theatre, the Lyric, Hammersmith, and the Unicorn Theatre. He performs his poetry shows with the UK’s top performance poetry organisation, Apples and Snakes, visiting venues across the UK. Joseph’s poems have appeared in many anthologies, including Green Glass Beads by Jacqueline Wilson…
Philp Caveney has been a published author since 1977. He began by writing thrillers for adults but since 2007 has been writing for children. His best-known books are the Sebastian Darke adventures, which relate the tale of a would-be jester and his miserable sidekick, Max. He has also created the Alec Devlin mysteries, the dark…
James Carter is a children’s poet, guitarist and educational writer. He travels all over the UK and abroad (with his guitar, Keith) to visit schools, libraries and book festivals to give very lively poetry performances, workshops, INSET sessions and gifted & talented days. A prize-winning and widely-anthologised poet, his many poetry collections include Journey To…
Elen Caldecott’s debut novel, How Kirsty Jenkins Stole the Elephant, was shortlisted for the Waterstone’s Children’s Prize and longlisted for the 2010 Carnegie Award. When you start to write a book, do you know how it will end? Yes, to a certain extent. I like to have an idea for a finale, and to know…
Marcia Williams, the well known children’s author and illustrator of many books, including lively retellings of myths and legends, arranged for the following interview with Anthony Browne. The questions were put to him by girls in the Book Group at St. Marylebone School. At what age did you start being an illustrator? I started illustrating…