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When Emma isn’t writing books, she’s reading them. Emma used to teach English in a secondary school but is now a full time writer. Emma says ‘It’s my absolute dream-come-true job! Emma has published over 13 books and this number continues to grow.
What motivated you to start writing professionally?
I’ve always wanted to be an author, and always been in love with stories. A life changing illness made me finally realise, aged 39, that if I didn’t have a go at writing something, I’d never really know if I was any good. Cliched, I know, but it really was the wake-up call I needed!
![The Somerset Tsunami book cover](https://i0.wp.com/baneslibraries.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/VL-Book-cover-Template-51.png?resize=1410%2C2250&ssl=1)
Your book, The Somerset Tsunami, is based on a true event, the 1607 Bristol Channel floods. Some of your other books are set in 1816 and 1881, how do you start the research process to make them historically accurate?
I tend to focus on the day to day details: food, clothes, houses, attitudes, as well as important cultural events that may have been happening. I read blogs, non-fiction, fiction set in the era, newspapers from the time, watch films/documentaries. Basically, it’s about immersing yourself until you have enough to build a ‘world’ that feels authentic.
The illustrator Julian De Narvaez has worked on the artwork for your books, how do you work together to bring your characters to life?
Julian lives in Bogota, Columbia, so that side of things tends to be dealt with by my publisher via his agents. I absolutely love his covers- they’re sweet but quirky and ever so slightly creepy, which is pretty much how I’d sum up my stories! He’ll be given a brief on the characters + key locations, as well as the ‘mood’ of the story. He’ll usually start working on the cover before I’ve finished the book!
How do you ensure that you write in a way that appeals to children?
As a child, I struggled to get to grips with the whole spelling, punctuation, A lot of my stories are based around things that fascinated me as a child, so that’s often my starting point. I’ll also try and remember what it felt like to be 12 or 13 years old, which isn’t that hard – there’s a big kid not very far below my surface! Also, I worked for nearly 20 years as a secondary English teacher, which undoubtedly helps.
![The Ghost Garden Book Cover](https://i0.wp.com/baneslibraries.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/VL-Book-cover-Template-49.png?resize=1410%2C2250&ssl=1)
Where do you get the ideas to create your characters and storylines?
My ideas come from everywhere: I’m often influenced by books I’ve read and loved. Also, I love human stories, so things that happened in my family’s history, or something I overheard on a train. It also helps having a very active imagination, so I’m constantly thinking ‘What if?’
Do you have any tips for our library followers who may be aspiring writers?
Read, read, read! Every writer I know is an avid reader. It’s how we ingest language, plots, ideas and feeds our creativity. Be prepared to try out different genres, play, be patient- to discover what you want to write, and your writer’s voice. Writing is hard work, slow-going, often quite tedious, but the creative rewards are immense.
This interview was conducted in 2020.