When I saw that the theme for this month was Things we’ve been through in the process of writing our books  my heart sank slightly, I have to admit. Because the honest truth is, I don’t do anything remotely exciting or adventurous in the pursuit of a good story.

I’d have loved to give you an account of a trip up the Amazon or a week in Asia minor or living with down and outs in a squat in Baltimore but alas, they’re all impossible for one reason or another. The Amazon, and indeed anywhere at all jungly, is out of the question. Merely READING about such places produces violent conniptions. Though, on the plus side of jungly, I did live for many years in the tropics and have even written about those days in OTHER ECHOES. It wasn’t anything like the Amazon but we did have to look in our shoes every morning before we put them on to check that scorpions hadn’t taken up residence in the sweaty footwear overnight. I shudder even remembering it now but when I was nine or so, it was just part of the daily routine. Growing up has made me more of a wimp than I was then, which is saying something.

The truth of the matter is: I like staying home. I love reading books. You can gather a great deal of information about various parts of the world simply through consulting books and looking on Google images. When I say I like staying home, I am always up for visiting  a beautiful part of the world and  staying in a posh hotel: don’t get me wrong. But I don’t fly these days (though I did as a child: see above and growing less brave as you get older) and so I’m a bit limited in my destinations. Thus, I can’t go and do first hand research on that squat in Baltimore or the deserts of Asia Minor. Not that I’d particularly fancy it. On the other hand,  if someone would like to commission a novel set in the Ritz, I’m your woman.

But, as the saying goes, if you’re given lemons you must make lemonade.  Read the rest of this entry »

There were  lovely reviews of 3 very different DFB titles in the papers this weekend - with Magic Beans and This Dark Endeavour featured in The Times’ best children’s books of 2011!  See more here.

‘One of the best value books for 6 plus is Magic Beans an entrancing collection of classic fairytales retold by leading storytellers such as Philip Pullman, Adele Geras and Malorie Blackman. Elegant line drawings by Ian Beck, Debi Gliori, Peter Bailey and others add to the magic.’

‘It’s a beautifully balanced novel with the darkness of the central crime never forgotten or over-sweetened by the love story….. readers wanting to discover if the relationship overcomes all the odds are sure to find themselves provoked, moved and rewarded in equal measure.’  Click here to read the full Guardian review of You Against Me by Jenny Downham. 

‘Kenneth Oppel’s This Dark Endeavour a captivating Gothic novel for 13 plus about the future Dr Frankenstein and his competitive love for his twin brother. Books this good are for life, not just Christmas.’

You can find out more about Magic Beans here,  and go to Jacqueline’s site here!

That’s right,  we’ve a new storyblog topic!  It was fascinating to think about literary classics and hear our authors and illustrators share opinions on retelling and adaptations that they love – as well as see some exclusive illustrations of literary classics.(Sarah McIntyre’s here and Richard Collingridge’s here). Thank you everyone for joining in!  It was especially interesting in light of our recent book, Magic Beans. 

Our next topic is one for delving into our writers’ and illustrators’ own stories, or rather, behind the scenes of them.  We’re asking our story bloggers to tell us about something that they’ve experienced in order to write about or draw it.    I for one can’t wait to hear these stories, direct from our DFB storybloggers. .

A long, long time ago…(well, 1998) and in a very different Economic Landscape, a Story Finder called David decided that it would be a good idea if children everywhere could read and enjoy the old stories: the fairy tales and folk legends  that we all love. He asked some storytellers of his acquaintance to retell these and I was one of the chosen ones. I wrote The Six Swan Brothers and it was beautifully illustrated by Ian Beck.

That’s only one example of my retelling history. I’ve retold a great many things: ballet stories, opera stories, other fairy tales and every time I’ve done it,  I’ve loved the experience and I’ve been lucky enough to have marvellous illustrators to bring my efforts to life: Emma Chichester Clark, Christian Birmingham,  Louise Brierley, Jane Ray, and many others.

Now, gather round while I tell you my secret. I like retelling stories because in one significant way, it’s very much easier than writing a book or a story from scratch. Is this a shameful admission? I don’t think so. It’s no more guilt-inducing than saying you like making cakes.

A short digression by way of illustration.  I’m hooked at the moment on the television series called THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE-OFF in which contestants are making cakes, biscuits, pastries, pies, puddings etc. every Tuesday evening.  Each time, one of them gets eliminated and the last woman standing (the men have all  gone already) is the WINNER!  Every week, you see different examples of, let’s say (because it was the hardest task the bakers have been given) a chocolate roulade. There is great variation in what the bakers end up with from a mixture that is, at heart, just flour, fat and eggs. Their skills turn these raw materials into things of unimaginable temptation and deliciousness or complete flops but the flour, eggs, butter DO NOT HAVE TO BE REINVENTED  each time they bake a cake.

So: retelling a story is baking from known and familiar ingredients. Read the rest of this entry »