Today, children’s illustrator Nikos Yanopulos joins Ian Eagleton in The Reading Realm!
Before we settle down in The Reading Realm for a chat, what’s your drink and snack of choice?
Hello there! I am so happy to be joining you in The Reading Realm!
So, my favorite drink or snack? Hmm, let me think… My favorite snack is definitely something sweet. ALWAYS sweet! Something with caramel and chocolate in it. Maybe a Mars Bar or Snickers!
My favorite drink would be a nice, fruity mocktail, with lots of ice!
Tell us about your book in three sentences and then three words!
My latest illustrated book, 5-Minute Bedtime Stories for Friendship, has just been released by Igloo Books! It’s part of a well-known, bestselling series and features 7 beautiful friendship stories, one for each day of the week, written by James Phoenix, Millie Hooke, Claire Mowat, Hannah Campling, Liz Gray and designed by Bethany Dowling!
Three words would be…Friendship, cosy, magical!
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?
Oh, I would definitely invite Max!! He was the first character I was introduced to when I started working on the book, so he has a special place in my heart! I would prepare some nice tacos, and then we could talk about our friends and our hobbies. Max shares a lot of hobbies with me, like dancing! Maybe we could even dance to some disco songs, just like Max does with his friends!
What’s the funniest word you know that always makes you laugh?
Okay, this one is weird… and nobody knows, so I’ll share it here with you! It’s the word “crocodile.” Like, for real. It’s just the word crocodile. It genuinely makes me laugh. I cannot explain why. It just does!
What’s the silliest or strangest thing you’ve ever researched for a story?
Were a T. Rex’s hands really THAT small?
Do your characters ever surprise you?
ALWAYS! Every single time they do!
If your writing desk and office could speak, what would it say about you?
It would say, “Nikos? Oh, please! There’s a garbage bin right next to his desk, and yet that plastic chocolate wrapper is still sitting there! And don’t even get me started on those papers with glasses sitting on top of them instead of being put away in a drawer. He makes me so tired, bro! How can he possibly concentrate in all this mess?!”
Did you like reading when you were a child? If so, what
Yes, I LOVED comic books! I have read hundreds and hundreds of X-Men issues, and I still do! Books are something I started reading at a much older age, later in life.
What’s your favourite book that isn’t yours?
I love The Lord of the Rings books. And when it comes to children’s books, I ADORE the Moomins. Absolutely love them!
What book do you wish you could read for the first time again?
The new X-men book by Grant Morrison (writer) and Frank Quitely (artist).
What’s the funniest/oddest thing a child has said to you?
“Does your mom know you tell lies in your books? I knew you hadn’t seen a real dinosaur!”
If you weren’t an author, what would you be?
An actor. I LOVE acting. I LOVE the stage!!
What BAD advice would you give to someone who wants to be a writer?
Start slowly and take your time! The book industry will always be there waiting for you.
SPEED ROUND:
Cake or biscuits? Cake!
Dinosaurs or unicorns? UNICORNS! ALWAYS!
Pirates or astronauts? Hey ho! Pirates!
Museums or theme parks? Museums
Cats or dogs? CATS! ALWAYS CATS!
Summer or winter? Winter
Aliens or robots? Robots
THANK YOU Nikos for joining us in The Reading Realm today!
