Something different and VERY cool today… I'm interviewing the lovely LIZ KESSLER about her fab books! You can even WIN a set of them… read on to find out how!
Hello Liz… you know I'm a big fan of your work, but for newer readers, can you tell us about your Emily Windsnap series?
Hi Cathy! Thanks for having me on your blog - and the feeling is mutual! EMILY WINDSNAP is a twelve year old girl (actually, she turns thirteen in the latest book!) who is an ordinary girl apart from one fact: when she goes in the water, she becomes a mermaid. Each book in the series focuses on a different adventure she gets involved in, and each one takes Emily to new places. In one book she has to find her long lost father and swim out to an underwater prison guarded by hammerhead sharks; in another, she moves to a secret island where merfolk and humans live side by side - but which is also inhabited by a giant sea monster! In another, she visits the frozen arctic. In the last few, as well as her best friend Shona, she shares many of the adventures with her new boyfriend Aaron, who she met when she visited a spooky castle on an island out at sea.
I hear there's a new book out this week… what should we expect?
You can expect to see Emily throwing herself into a wild, dangerous and exciting adventure, as usual! The book is set partly on an island which both Brightport High and Shiprock School are visiting together, and partly set in the magical land of Atlantis. Emily can't resist a challenge and this time she gets herself involved in a life-and-death mission that is possibly her most dangerous yet. the stakes couldn't be higher!
Ooh! Tell us a little about your writing day… and where inspiration comes from!
My day involves a lot of writing interspersed with a lot of faffing! I can be easily distracted by Facebook, Twitter, sunshine, tea, chocolate and about a hundred other things! I usually set daily and weekly writing goals. At the moment, I am working on the first draft of a new book and my daily goal is to write 2,000 words. Sometimes I can do this in a few hours; sometimes it takes all day. As soon as I'm done, I'm allowed to play out, but not until I've met that goal! I live near the sea and my office has a beautiful view of the ocean. I can see the sunrise (when I'm up in time!) and can watch people surfing from my window. I even get to see the occasional dolphin, so it's the perfect place to get inspiration for books about mermaids.
Sounds fab! Do you have any advice for young would-be writers?
My top pieces of advice would be:
1. Invest in a lovely notebook and pen and never go ANYWHERE without them! Ideas are like butterflies and you need to be ready to gently catch them and make them your own before they flit away!
2. Write about whatever excites you. Don't ever worry that it's not good enough ir that you 'should' be writing something else… if you are passionate about it, this will show.
3. Work hard on your writing and be prepared to draft and redraft many times. My books usually take about seven or eight drafts! Take advice from those you trust, but at the end of the day remember that your stories, poems and novels are YOURS. Believe in yourself and try to have the confidence that if you work hard, you will get there in the end!
You can also check out the writing tips on my website!
Thanks for having me to visit Cathy, and swishy wishes to all your readers!
Liz xx
Cathy says:
Liz's lovely publisher have given us a complete set of EMILY WINDSNAP books to give away… to be in with a chance of winning, tell me which mythical creature YOU would most love to be! You can a/ COMMENT BELOW, or, b/ message me on the Cathy Cassidy Facebook fanpage (click link to 'like' and join). Closing date is 15th August!
Hi Cathy! Thanks for having me on your blog - and the feeling is mutual! EMILY WINDSNAP is a twelve year old girl (actually, she turns thirteen in the latest book!) who is an ordinary girl apart from one fact: when she goes in the water, she becomes a mermaid. Each book in the series focuses on a different adventure she gets involved in, and each one takes Emily to new places. In one book she has to find her long lost father and swim out to an underwater prison guarded by hammerhead sharks; in another, she moves to a secret island where merfolk and humans live side by side - but which is also inhabited by a giant sea monster! In another, she visits the frozen arctic. In the last few, as well as her best friend Shona, she shares many of the adventures with her new boyfriend Aaron, who she met when she visited a spooky castle on an island out at sea.
You can expect to see Emily throwing herself into a wild, dangerous and exciting adventure, as usual! The book is set partly on an island which both Brightport High and Shiprock School are visiting together, and partly set in the magical land of Atlantis. Emily can't resist a challenge and this time she gets herself involved in a life-and-death mission that is possibly her most dangerous yet. the stakes couldn't be higher!
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My day involves a lot of writing interspersed with a lot of faffing! I can be easily distracted by Facebook, Twitter, sunshine, tea, chocolate and about a hundred other things! I usually set daily and weekly writing goals. At the moment, I am working on the first draft of a new book and my daily goal is to write 2,000 words. Sometimes I can do this in a few hours; sometimes it takes all day. As soon as I'm done, I'm allowed to play out, but not until I've met that goal! I live near the sea and my office has a beautiful view of the ocean. I can see the sunrise (when I'm up in time!) and can watch people surfing from my window. I even get to see the occasional dolphin, so it's the perfect place to get inspiration for books about mermaids.
My top pieces of advice would be:
1. Invest in a lovely notebook and pen and never go ANYWHERE without them! Ideas are like butterflies and you need to be ready to gently catch them and make them your own before they flit away!
2. Write about whatever excites you. Don't ever worry that it's not good enough ir that you 'should' be writing something else… if you are passionate about it, this will show.
3. Work hard on your writing and be prepared to draft and redraft many times. My books usually take about seven or eight drafts! Take advice from those you trust, but at the end of the day remember that your stories, poems and novels are YOURS. Believe in yourself and try to have the confidence that if you work hard, you will get there in the end!
You can also check out the writing tips on my website!
Liz xx
Cathy says:
Liz's lovely publisher have given us a complete set of EMILY WINDSNAP books to give away… to be in with a chance of winning, tell me which mythical creature YOU would most love to be! You can a/ COMMENT BELOW, or, b/ message me on the Cathy Cassidy Facebook fanpage (click link to 'like' and join). Closing date is 15th August!
This is a fab post! I have never read any of these books before but I plan to now! The mythical creature that I would most like to be is a mermaid because I love swimming and being a mermaid would allow me to swim to the bottom of the ocean and see things no human has seen before! That would be exciting! XxX
ReplyDeleteI'd most like to be a chimera because thy are an interesting mix of everything!x
ReplyDeleteI'd love to be a Harpy (half woman half bird) because not only can they fly, but they helped punish evildoers...I think that could be pretty useful even now!
ReplyDeleteI would love to be the Loch Ness monster because she kind of symbolises Scotland where I live and because she's believed to go back as far as the dinosaurs. How much knowledge you could gain in that time! It would be fun to explore the very deepest parts of the loch and to make my home where humans never go. I think I'd enjoy the solitude. Although saying that, I'd like another Loch Ness monster to keep me company. It must get quite lonely down there in the dark, quiet waters of the loch. That'd be the life! I also wouldn't mind being a sphynx. I'm not fond of the whole woman/lion/eagle thing they've got going on but boy, do I love riddles! I'm kind of the riddle master. For now though, I'm happy with my human form.
ReplyDeleteI would love to be a phoenix because I would be able to live forever and I would love to be able to fly!
ReplyDeleteI would honestly most like to be a mermaid because I absolutely love swimming! It would be an amazing experience to be able to swim underwater for as long as I want to! The ocean is breathtaking from the top to the bottom! I have always wanted to go diving to see all of the beautiful sea creatures but as a mermaid you could do that whenever you wanted! I also assume that you could see everything in the water with your eyes wide open, how cool? The idea of an entire underwater world is astonishing to think about-so that's why the mythical creature that I would want to be is a mermaid! Thee coral, the fish and the turquoise waters would be amazing to see close-up!
ReplyDeleteI would want to be a dragon. Not the fierce type, but a soft, peaceful one that flies around all day and lights fires. This is what I'm currently writing a book about, so it fits!
ReplyDeleteI would most love to be a guardian angel, as I would like to be able to watch over people and be there for them when they need me. I like the idea of an angel always being there watching over your life and guiding you when you feel lost or don't know which way to turn, without expecting a reward because being able to guide you onto the right path is in itself a reward.
ReplyDeleteI have so many ideas of mythical creatures that I could be it's hard to pick one. I guess if I had to be one mythical creature it would have to be a fairy but not an ordinary type of fairy. My type of fairy that I call a mystic. Their original form is a fairy but they can transform into any other supernatural and have the power to control all elements. They have their own special element which they can use the best and mine is definitely fire. Being a mystic would be so awesome! Like the most epic superhero ever! This mystical creature is from my book Two Voices.
ReplyDeleteThe mythical creature I would most love to be is a unicorn, because they’re fabulous cute and so kind hearted. These books look so good, would be great to win if not will definitely give them a read anyway!
ReplyDeleteI would love to be a unicorn, because they are beautiful, and who doesn't love a flying horse? I would also love to be a mermaid, because they are cool, and my favourite film is the little mermaid
ReplyDelete