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David’s first novel for children, My Brother is a Superhero, won the Waterstones Children’s Prize 2016 and the British Book Industry Award’s Children’s Book of the Year 2016. My Gym Teacher is an Alien Overlord is the second book in the series. Rights in the books have to date been sold to 15 territories, all of them on planet Earth. So far.
Where do you get your ideas/ inspiration for your next story?
I think it was Ray Bradbury who wrote about writers treading the same piece of carpet over and over. The more novels I write, the more I realise that what I find compelling enough to spend up to a year writing, contains the same themes again and again. My carpet is becoming quite worn. But that doesn’t mean I write the same book over and over.
I’m always looking for some fresh contrast in characters strong enough to drive a plot A high concept, to use the 1980s movie terminology. Ideally, the concept should be pithy enough for a reader to ‘get’ quickly, but also deep enough to let me dig into the characters to produce a satisfying story. For example, a younger brother becomes wildly jealous of his older sibling when he is bestowed with superpowers. I got five books out of that!
![My Brother Is A Superhero book cover](https://i0.wp.com/baneslibraries.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/VL-Book-cover-Template-37.png?resize=1410%2C2250&ssl=1)
What do you find most enjoyable about writing?
Finishing. Seriously. I love having written. Nothing like the weight of a completed manuscript in your hands.
If you weren’t writing, how else would you express your creativity?
I would wither and die.
In your book ‘Maze of Doom’ we follow Dr Who in an action-packed adventure across London. What do you think is essential when writing a good mystery?
I’ll tell you the thing that bugs me about mysteries – discovering at the end that the solution to the mystery is an empty box. Give me a worthy pay-off! With both my Who books – Vault 13 and Maze of Doom – I’ve tried very hard to build the story to a big conclusion – an a-ha! moment – that would properly satisfy.
![My Arch-Enemy Is A Brian In A Jar book cover](https://i0.wp.com/baneslibraries.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/VL-Book-cover-Template-36.png?resize=1410%2C2250&ssl=1)
How do you ensure that you write in a way that appeals to children?
I don’t. I make very little conscious concession to my readers when it comes to language or plotting. I think the truth is that my sensibility and my writing style naturally chime with younger readers (and a good number of older ones too – maybe we’re all in that arrested development phase).
This interview was conducted in 2020.