Sally Prue on the influence of her childhood on her latest novel, Song Hunter : the story of a girl at the dawn of the Ice Age. ‘Hm,’ said my husband Roger. ‘This is a very autobiographical novel, isn’t it.’ Now the startling thing about Roger’s comment is that the book in question was my novel Song Hunter; and Song Hunter is not […]
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The wonderful Tim Bowler writes on our relationship with the sea, as explored in his latest novel, Sea of Whispers : a haunting tale of love, loss, courage, and mystery in a beautifully-evoked remote island setting. I am writing this blog piece from a favourite spot: a high nest in a little town perched above the sea on the south […]
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Award-winning author Gillian Cross writes about the inspiration for her latest novel, After Tomorrow – a dark survival thriller scarily close to home . . . Ideas can come from very unexpected places. After Tomorrow takes place in England and France, but it started with a picture of boys in Africa. I was doing some work with a charity […]
Read moreLet me introduce myself. I’m Jasmine Richards and I have been a senior commissioning editor at Oxford University Press Children’s Books for four years. I have worked in publishing for nine years or so and one questions that I often get asked is: ‘how do you become a commissioning editor?’ I’ll do my best to answer that in this post […]
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The wonderful Gill Lewis shares her thoughts on a matter close to her heart, and central to her fantastic novel White Dolphin: the protection of our oceans and sea life. When was the last time you scrambled over rocks on the beach and probed deep into the pools of water left by the ebbing tide? […]
Read moreJoanna Nadin on that hallowed object, the teenage diary, and the influence of her teenage years on the hilarious Rachel Riley Diaries. One of the most-oft asked questions of writers is: “Is the book autobiographical?” Or “Is there any of you in there?” The easy answer is that every book contains a little of its […]
Read morePicture book author Ann Bonwill on the key to tackling preschool social issues in picture books (without need of a soapbox) When my editor, Helen, expressed interest in a sequel to I Don’t Want to be a Pea! , I was thrilled. I had come to love my characters, Hugo and Bella, and the chance to write about them again was exciting. […]
Read moreWhat would your perfect superpower be? Ali Sparkes shares hers . . . Fly? Be invisible? Able to spit acid? Or control other people’s bowel movements..? I get asked a lot about the superpower I would choose if I could have one, so I’ve given it a lot of thought. Most people fancy flying or […]
Read more. . . to our brand new Children’s Books blog, where OUP authors, illustrators, and publishing team will be bringing you news and views from the world of children’s books. If you have an interest in children’s books and who creates them, this is the place for you. A sneaky peek of what’s in store for […]
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