Arden Jones joins us in The Reading Realm today to talk about her brand-new series, WITCHY BOO, which is illustrated by Saoirse Lou…
Before we settle down in The Reading Realm for a chat, what’s your drink and snack of choice?
Tea, and plenty of it. At a guess, I’d say I probably drink about 8 – 10 cups per day, especially when I’m writing. Accompany those with some malted milk biscuits, preferably the chocolate-topped ones, and I’m super happy.
Tell us about your book in three sentences and then three words!
Witchy Boo is about a little ghost who doesn’t like scaring and doesn’t quite feel she fits in with her super-scary ghost family. But when she learns she can do magic, she discovers that not all ghosts have to be scary… Some can be witchy!
Magical. Funny. Empowering.
If one of your characters could come to dinner, who would you invite and what would you cook them? What do you think you’d talk about?
Ooh, this is tricky, because I love them all so much for all different reasons. But I think I’d invite Witch Hazel. She’s so much fun. So magically imperfect and she can whip up the most delicious chocolate cake in one swish of her wand. So that’s dessert sorted. And, I’d make her favourite food – a Cheese and Pickle Sand-witch with some stuffed mush-brooms on the side!
What’s the funniest word you know that always makes you laugh?
Nincompoop. I heard Skeletor say this as a kid (I was a huge Masters of the Universe fan) and it kinda stuck… You simply can’t say nincompoop angrily or call someone a nincompoop without sounding like a complete nincompoop.
What’s the silliest or strangest thing you’ve ever researched for a story?
I won’t go into some of the things I’ve researched for my YA and Adult writing, because they’re pretty dark. But for Witchy Boo, I found myself researching what sound a ghost might make when it moves through things. Does it whoosh? Swoosh? Swish? Do ghosts make a sound at all? I then went down a huge rabbit hole of ghost sightings, most haunted places, whether ghosts can hurt you etc. I spent far too long on it considering ghosts don’t actually exist… Or do they?! Who knows?
Do your characters ever surprise you?
Yes! I might know where I want the story to go in my head, but Witchy Boo doesn’t always cooperate. You can give a witch a plot, but apparently you can’t make her follow it. It’s the same with spells actually. Which is why they sometimes go a little awry…
If your writing desk could speak, what would it say about you?
It would say, “Arden’s procrastinating again!” or “I’m lonely!”
I have a writing room, but do I ever write in it?… Nope. Well, very, very rarely. You’ll usually find me tucked up on the sofa with one of many cups of tea, tapping away, completely ignoring my writing room. It’s now more of a background aesthetic for socials, videos and interviews.
Did you like reading when you were a child? If so, what?
I absolutely loved reading. My earliest memories are reading Spot, Mr Men and Little Miss and Meg and Mog. Then I remember discovering Jill Murphy’s The Worst Witch and Enid Blyton’s The Naughtiest Girl in the School series and becoming very obsessed with them. I think I saw quite a lot of myself in Elizabeth from The Naughtiest Girl! Not rich or in a boarding school, but misunderstood, maybe. I was what some people may describe as a rather challenging child, but I always felt there was more going on underneath, but I didn’t really know what that was or how to channel it. I loved finding a character who wasn’t perfectly behaved or doing what everyone expected of them. I think that’s stayed with me as I’ve grown and started writing children’s books. I love characters who are flawed, have a bit of something about them and who don’t fit neatly into the box they’ve been given. Just like Witchy Boo.
What’s your favourite book that isn’t yours?
It’s practically impossible to pick one! Can I choose one for a few different age groups? I obviously still struggle to follow rules. Sorry.
Picture Book: The Eyebrows of Doom by Steve Smallman and Miguel Ordóñez. This has me in stitches every time. It’s hilarious!
Middle Grade: The Night I Borrowed Time by Iqbal Hussain. Oh my goodness, this book blew me away, and months later, I’m still thinking about it.
Young Adult: The Last Death Poet by Stephen Daly. Another book that grabbed hold of my heart and won’t ever let go.
What book do you wish you could read for the first time again?
I’m going adult science fiction with this one and saying Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I never thought I’d fall in love with a science-fiction book and I’m definitely not someone who usually rereads books as an adult, but I’ve read this one twice.
I loved it just as much the second time, but what I really missed was experiencing it all for the first time – being inside Ryland Grace’s head, discovering everything as he does, and most of all, meeting Rocky. I would love to be able to wipe my memory of that book just so I could meet Rocky for the first time all over again. He is amaze, amaze, amaze!
What’s the funniest a child has said to you?
I’m looking forward to some school visits coming up, so I may have more to share soon. But my 7 year old comes out with all sorts. Once, she walked into my bedroom one morning and out of nowhere said, “You should write a story called Big Bad Bum.” So I did! And it’s coming out next summer.
If you weren’t an author, what would you be?
Well, I’ve spent a long time not being an author. 40 years to be exact, so I’ve already been quite a few things. A lot of it creative. I ran my own business as a sewing machinist, making memory keepsakes, and I’ve also been a dancer and, back in the day, a model. Then there were the slightly less glamorous jobs – working for the local council, a housing association and a pharmaceutical company. I even started training to be a teacher. I completed my BA HONS in SEND as an adult but realised fairly quickly that teaching wasn’t for me.
If I had to choose something now, though, I think because I’ve always loved being around books, I’d quite like to be a librarian. Although I’m not sure how much work I’d actually get done with all those books around me. I guess that’s the same with writing actually.
What BAD advice would you give to someone who wants to be a writer?
Wait for inspiration to hit.
We all like to think writers sit down when a boo-rilliant or magical idea strikes and the words just flow out, and sometimes… just sometimes this does happen. But if I waited until I felt inspired every time, I’d probably still be on chapter one, or staring at a blank screen feeling very overwhelmed. Sometimes you just have to sit down and write, even if what comes out is rubbish or if you’re really not feeling it that day.
But also, and this isn’t BAD advice, do take a break if you need it. Burnout is real.
SPEED ROUND:
Cake or biscuits? – Biscuits
Dinosaurs or unicorns? – Dinosaurs
Pirates or astronauts? – Pirates
Museums or theme parks? – Museums
Cats or dogs? – Cats
Summer or winter? – Summer
Aliens or robots? – Aliens
THANK YOU Arden for joining us in The Reading Realm today!
