Author Interview
Grandma Paint Pot
Grandma Paint Pot (named so by her Grandchildren) was born and raised in South Wales, but now resides in Cornwall which gives her the inspiration for her book series - 'The Sea Creatures'.
A keen writer, poet and outdoor walker; Grandma Paint Pot is a nature lover and this shows in her beautiful writing which features an array of adorable characters from a Selfish Shellfish to a Starfish with a missing leg!
Thankyou for taking the time to talk to us, can you start by telling us more about yourself?
I’m a mother of three and a grandmother to
four lovely grandchildren. I was born and raised in the Rhondda Valley, South
Wales. Now, I live in Cornwall, in a caravan. I love to spend time out of doors
walking the coastal path and feeling close to nature. I have two Border
Terriers - Charles Dickens and Oscar Wilde - and in June will be having a
Springer Spaniel puppy. She will be called Lizzie Lou after the heroine in the
novel I am currently writing. I have a BA (hons) in Literature and an MA in
Professional Writing.
Great names! How did you start writing for children?
I’ve written poetry since the age of
thirteen or fourteen. When my children were quite young I started rewriting nursery
rhymes such as: What was Humpty doing, sitting on the wall, he shouldn’t have
been up there, it was obvious he’d fall... My children attended the Welsh
school and had several cousins around the same age. I wrote my first children’s
story for them. It was handwritten into a blue scrapbook in the Welsh Language
and every character in the story was named after the children. I drew all the
illustrations. I have since translated it into English and changed the names
accordingly to suit newer, younger family members. I might use elements of it
in a future publication.
Do you have a process you follow when writing?
Usually, a germ of an idea might take hold
and I play around with it in my head for some time. With my publication The
Selfish Shellfish, I was playing around with this title for a poem, focusing on
the tongue twisting alliteration. I then thought I could make up some other sea
creature characters. When I had several characters the idea grew into something
bigger. In my head, each character had a voice.
I
don’t commit anything to paper until I’ve thought out the entire story. Then I
write it up, and after that I type it on the computer. More often than not the
word count is far too much and that’s when I begin to edit it down and
structure it.
What or who gives you inspiration?
Nature is the most inspirational thing there
is. I can look at the sea, a river, flowers, trees, the earth, the sky and
never fail to be moved. I love watching the birds and animals and life in
general. The world seems so simple and straight forward and breathtaking and
mysterious. It is lifetime of study.
I admire so many writers but, in my eyes,
Julia Donaldson is a children’s writing phenomenon. She creates beautiful
characters, beautiful stories, empathetic scenarios and puts them together in
verse.
Did you encounter any problems when releasing your books?
As a self-publishing author (as with any
author, I suppose) I have to create interest in my book via social media. This
is something that causes me a few problems. How to connect with the right
people? How to reach people other than friends and family? How to pitch your
posts and blog in such a way that will engage and draw interest without coming
across as pushy, boring and completely self-indulgent?
What was the BEST part of releasing your book?
The best part about releasing my books was (firstly) holding a physical copy and then seeing copies on the shelf in bookstores. It gives a wonderful sense of achievement. Also, it’s an amazing feeling when people come up to me and say: my child loves your book. When asked what book they want at bedtime they always want to read The Selfish Shellfish.
...and the worst?
The worst part is facing rejection from some
booksellers. It’s tough to take when someone says they don’t want to stock your
book - for whatever reason. Some places will order my book for a customer if
they ask for it specifically but the chances of that happening is unlikely. As
a new, independent author my book needs to be on display to stand any sort of
chance in such a saturated market.
It sounds like you love doing what you do!
What were your favourite books when you were a child?
I grew up in the world of Enid Blyton. I
loved everything from Noddy and Big Ears,
The Famous Five to Mr Meddles Muddles and Brer Rabbit. But, if I had to pick one
book from my childhood, it would be Joanna Spyri’s Heidi. I always wanted to live on top of a mountain, sleep in a bed
of straw, eat fresh bread and cheese and run wild all day. It was my kind of
heaven.
Do you have a favourite place to write?
I love going somewhere to write rather than
staying at home. Often, I write in The Falmouth Hotel. I order a pot of coffee,
sit in the window overlooking Castle Beach and write the morning away. This is
one of the reasons I set The Selfish Shellfish on Castle Beach and some
wonderful illustrations of the Hotel feature in the book.
I
also like to write in cafes or libraries or anywhere I’m not distracted by
thoughts of chores I should be attending to.
Finally... 'The big debate'; physical books or eBooks - which do you prefer?
I much prefer a physical book. I buy ebooks
for convenience. They make ideal traveling companions and, as I live in a
caravan, they don’t clutter up my cubby holes. My books are also available as
ebooks for these very same reasons, and because I want to cater for the ebook
market. But physical books are special. They are personal and intimate. In my
opinion, a person - young or not so young - is more likely to flick back
through the pages of a physical book time and time again to enjoy the feel and
colour of the book and to linger over the words, and each time the book is
revisited they will see and understand something different and gain a bigger
picture.
Thanks for sharing with us Grandma Paint Pot!
Grandma Paint Pot is currently launching her latest book; Stanley Penwellington
and the Exploding Seagulls
Until then, you can check out her books below!
The
Selfish Shellfish (ISBN 9781781322147) is £7.99
The
Selfish Shellfish ebook (ISBN 9781781322154) is
£5.99
Leonard
Limpet Lost at Sea (ISBN 9780993090707) is £7.99
Leonard
Limpet Lost at Sea ebook (ISBN 9780993090714) is
£5.99
Buy from...
Or on sale locally in Falmouth at;
Falmouth Bookseller
The Falmouth Hotel
The Maritime Museum
Cornish Maid, Mawnan Smith
Meudon Hotel, Mawnan Smith
The Kingsley Village
Seawitch Stores, Mousehole
The End of the Earth, Hayle