Sparkes tells us why she’d love to be Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit, talks about her mysterious book, The House at the Edge of Magic, and gives budding writers some top tips to help them achieve their goals.
At what point did you decide you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve been writing since I was five years old. The first thing I ever wrote was a song (which I still have a copy of somewhere), and then I moved onto plays, short stories and poems while I was at primary school. My teachers were always so encouraging. My first poem was published when I was 13 years old in an anthology, and my first short story was published when I was 15 years old, when it won a local short story competition. But despite these wonderful events, it never occurred to me that writing could be a full-time occupation. We didn’t have author visits and I’d never met an author before. It wasn’t until my second child was born and I decided to leave work to spend more time with my little ones that I decided to give writing a go professionally. When the baby was four weeks old, and my son was just over two years old, I wrote my first book, Hodge The Hedgehog, which went on to be published. And I haven’t looked back. I just wished I had become a writer sooner.
What drew you to children’s fiction?
I love the magic, the adventure, and the heart of children’s fiction. Seeing the world through the eyes of the child is a very special thing indeed. I adore magic, and always have done. So to me, writing for children is a very natural fit. I am also utterly ridiculous, so writing funny things to make people laugh is also a very pleasing way for me to spend the day.
Being a children’s author is a huge and wonderful responsibility – I love that I am writing for the adult readers of tomorrow.
You’ve written 16 children’s books, do you have a favourite?
I’ve enjoyed all of them. They all reflect different parts of me as a writer and a person. The magical, the wistful, the adventurous, the ridiculous… I particularly enjoy the magical stories and the funny stories, so although I can’t choose between them, The House At The Edge Of Magic is probably the first story to combine all of my favourite things in one book.
What about a favourite character from your books, or is that like asking you to pick a favourite child?
Ooooohhhh. That is incredibly tricky. I love them all, in different ways, for different reasons.
We love the title, The House at the Edge of Magic, how did that come about?
Thank you. The title was the first thing which came into my mind, before I know who was in the House, what the House was, or anything else about the story! It was the title, concept and world-setting all in one, and it just dropped into my head one morning out of nowhere. I loved it and knew I needed to write it.
Tell us a little bit about the book?
The House At The Edge Of Magic is about a determined, life-hardened pickpocket called Nine who comes across a little house ornament when she pickpockets a lady in the market. When she knocks on the doorknocker of the tiny house, it suddenly starts growing into a eleven-storeyed, higgledy-piggledy building. When the front door opens, and she is pulled inside, the adventure really begins.
Nine discovers the residents – a hopscotch-obsessed, fluffy slipper-wearing young wizard; a housekeeping troll; and a grumpy, sword-bearing wood spoon – are under a curse. In fact, the whole House is under a curse (in strange, funny and dangerous ways!) and they need Nine to help break it. And she might… if the price is right. There’s a bit of everything in this book – humour, heart, scary bits, bats with digestive problems… I had an absolutely wonderful time writing this book. It was such a joyful experience. And I hope that comes across on the page.
Four of your books are about Pirate Blunderbeard. What was it about him that made you turn his book into a series?
I think when you have a strong character in a strong setting, with a strong central idea, there is always potential for more adventures. I really loved Pirate Blunderbeard’s antics and enjoyed writing the non-verbal banter between him and his sidekick chicken, Boris, and I knew I wanted to write more adventures for them. I wanted to explore some more of the world, and Blunderbeard’s place in it. It was fun to write.
You write chapter books and picture books, do you find one easier than the other?
I enjoy writing both. I adore picture books – they were my first stories and have a special place in my heart. I think I’ll always want to write picture books. But I’m loving exploring stories for older readers. I really enjoy writing funny fiction, but I’m also looking forward to going over to The Dark Side for some stories in future, too.
Who was your favourite childhood author, and why?
My dad used to read Roald Dahl’s books to me when I was young, so those stories have a special place in my heart. My dad has a flair for the dramatic, so there were voices, expressions… the works. Storytelling was always a very entertaining affair and I always felt completely immersed in the world and the characters.
What are two of your favourite books from when you were a child?
I loved The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe by C.S.Lewis. I was fascinated with the idea that magic could be there, hiding in plain sight, just waiting to be discovered. As if we’re always on the fringe of it. This was what led me to trying to remove a manhole cover in the girls’ toilets of my school when I was about eight. I was convinced that there would be a secret world down there that no-one had discovered yet. I used to sneak out of class to have another go at twisting the huge three-inch-long screws to get them out so I could open it and find the magical land. I did manage to get one of the screws out before the teachers caught me. Another favourite book of mine is The Hobbit, and I’ll explain why below…
If you could be any character from children’s literature, who would it be?
I think I’d love to be Bilbo Baggins. I adored The Hobbit when I was a child. It was the first book I had read where (spoilers) not every character made it out alive. It changed the way I saw the world. I still remember curling up by our living room radiator and reading it. I was utterly captivated by the world and the adventure – I was no longer in my house. I was in the deepest mists of fantasy in an incredible new land. I would love to really visit Middle-Earth. I’m definitely a hobbit, albeit an adventurous one.
What do you always have in your handbag?
Unfortunately, I don’t have any magical houses in my handbag, but I wish that I did. It tends to be full of baby wipes, pencils and squished snacks. A magical house would be much, much better. Anyone want to swap?
Most authors are trying to win awards, but you have created one. How and why did the Picture Book Prize come about?
I love working with developing writers – it’s so exciting watching writers grow and become more confident with their work and their voice. The picture book market is particularly difficult to break into, and I wanted to offer a way to help people get a foot on the ladder. I spoke to my wonderful agent, Julia Churchill, and Writing Magazine (who I produce regular articles for), and they were both excited to be involved, so we created the Picture Book Prize. We’re seeing very exciting results. Several writers have gained literary agents and publishing deals as a result of the competition.
It’s been so successful that in 2020 we also launched the Chapter Book Prize for unpublished and un-agented authors. It’s great to be able to give back to the writing community.
