Today Ian Eagleton sits down in The Reading Realm for a chat with children’s author Mariesa Dulak!
Before we settle down in The Reading Realm for a chat, what’s your drink and snack of choice?
A soya flat white and a bowl of chilli cashew nuts please!
Tell us about one of your books in one sentence!
Animal rhyming fun featuring a crocodile called Elvis who is told he doesn’t have what it takes to be a circus star.
If one of your characters could come to dinner, who would you invite and what would you cook them?
I’d introduce Elvis the crocodile to the little boy from There’s a Tiger on the Train and we’d all share a humongous ice-cream sundae with lots of fruit, sauce and sprinkles.
What do you think you’d talk about?
Being true to yourself, speaking up to make a change and realising your dreams. I think both characters have this in common.
What’s the funniest word you know that always makes you laugh?
I quite like the word kerfuffle. Because it can turn a big scary fight into something funny and silly.
What’s the silliest or strangest thing you’ve ever researched for a story?
I listened to a lot of train noises for There’s a Tiger on the Train. I sat on train platforms and recorded the sound of doors closing and opening and different types of trains arriving and departing. That was fun. And when I was writing The Ice Cream Crocodile, it it felt important to see which type of ice cream went best with rainbow sprinkles. I took this research VERY seriously indeed and tried as many flavour combinations as possible.
Do your characters ever surprise you?
Yes. I wrote one character (the book she features in isn’t published yet) who refused to get out of my head until the book was acquired. She drove me crazy. But I’m also very fond of her.
If your writing desk could speak, what would it say about you?
Stop faffing around. Clear some space. Sit down, write the book and eat less chocolate.
Did you like reading when you were a child? If so, what?
I loved anything rhyming like Dr Seuss, and Now We Are Six. Then I moved on to the Virgil Nosegay books, Malory Towers and Narnia.
What’s your favourite book that isn’t yours?
Great question. SO many. But I’d choose anything by Anthony Browne.
What book do you wish you could read for the first time again?
Adult book: Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood or Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Kids book: Skellig by David Almond
What’s the funniest/oddest thing a child has said to you?
I get called Mum quite a lot at school visits!
If you weren’t an author, what would you be?
Well I’m half librarian and half author and I love both halves of my job (so I guess I already have the dream job). BUT if I had the skills (I really don’t!) I’d love to both write AND illustrate picture books.
What BAD advice would you give to someone who wants to be a writer?
Children’s books are so easy to write. Just jot something down on the bag of a napkin when you’ve got a spare few minutes, pop it in the post and you are destined to get a six figure deal in no time at all.
SPEED ROUND:
Cake or biscuits? CAKE
Dinosaurs or unicorns? DINOSAURS
Pirates or astronauts? PIRATES
Museums or theme parks? MUSEUMS
Cats or dogs? CATS
Summer or winter? SUMMER
Aliens or robots? ROBOTS
THANK YOU Mariesa for joining me today in The Reading Realm!
