A big HELLO to children’s author Yvonne Banham, who joins me in The Reading Realm today to talk about her spooky Delores Mackenzie series…
Before we settle down in The Reading Realm for a chat, what’s your drink and snack of choice?
Black coffee (no sugar, thanks) and liquorice catherine wheels, please!
Tell us about your book in three sentences and then three words!
When the ghoulish victim of a decades-old murder screams for justice, paranormal students Delores, Gabriel and Prudence find themselves caught up in a mystery that takes them from Edinburgh Old Town to beyond the Arctic Circle. But with their every move being watched, will the friends find the answers they’re looking for, or will they be the next victims? A darkly gothic quest filled with ghouls, shapeshifters, and delicious food!
Three words: Haunting. Mystery. Quest.
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?
Bartleby – the Tolbooth Book Store’s demon gargoyle. I’d make him French apple tart (the upside-down caramelised version called Tarte Tatin. Cook makes him some in the book and he loves it – a taste of home) I’d want to know what he got up to in Paris for hundreds of years and how he became a gargoyle in the first place.
What’s the funniest word you know that always makes you laugh?
Numpty. It’s a Scottish word – a very gentle, loving insult when you do something silly or clumsy. ‘Ya numpty!’ I’m not Scottish but I’ve lived in Scotland for 10 years and it always makes me chuckle when I hear or use it.
What’s the silliest or strangest thing you’ve ever researched for a story?
It’s a place rather than a thing. There’s a space under The National Library of Scotland known as the voids. It used to be an old street but was covered up as the library and the bridge it’s on developed. It was only recently rediscovered, and I was very lucky to get to visit it as its not open to the public. It plays a big part in the book. Intensely creepy vibes!
Do your characters ever surprise you?
All the time! Most surprising are the new characters that show up totally uninvited and throw the whole plot up in the air. Like Daisy Rudge. She has a paranormal ‘gift’ I’d never heard of before or since as well as being a thief. I love her and wish she could have her own book. Maybe she will one day!
If your writing desk could speak, what would it say about you?
It would say I’m messy when I’m writing, I leave things all over the desk in the name of ‘research’ and ‘inspiration’ which annoys the desk and the room wishes I’d stop collecting weird stuff. It’s full, ok?
Did you like reading when you were a child? If so, what?
I did. I loved any stories with feasts, banquets, picnics, midnight snacks! Not surprisingly, I write a lot of food into my own stories. I loved illustrated fairy tales too but always wanted to see more of the villain.
What’s your favourite book that isn’t yours?
That’s a hard one – but I love The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne by Jonathan Stroud (can I have the series???). Scarlett is such a brilliant character. Really wish I’d written these!
What book do you wish you could read for the first time again?
The Lovely Dark by Mathew Fox. It’s so clever and so beautifully written that you only see all the threads coming together in the last moments.
What’s the funniest thing a child has said to you?
A boy asked me if I was a dragon. The teacher explained they’d been talking about book dragons (who hoard books like treasure) and book worms (who actually read them all.) I confessed to being a dragon. Probably would have answered ‘yes’ anyway. Love dragons.
If you weren’t an author, what would you be?
I think I’d be a ghost walk tour guide – there’s lots of them in Edinburgh and I’d love getting into all those creepy places and scaring people. I’d still be telling stories plus I’d get to wear a cape and maybe a top-hat.
What BAD advice would you give to someone who wants to be a writer?
Ha! There is already so much bad advice out there! OK …. Cringing as I’m writing this … you don’t need to read to be a writer (That is REALLY bad advice!)
SPEED ROUND:
Cake or biscuits? Cake
Dinosaurs or unicorns? Dinosaurs
Pirates or astronauts? Pirates
Museums or theme parks? Museums
Cats or dogs? Dogs
Summer or winter? Winter
Aliens or robots? Aliens
THANK YOU Yvonne for joining us in The Reading Realm today!
