Thank you to Kate for the interview!

Interview

What was your inspiration for All the Small Wonderful Things?

The story is a mash-up of real experiences, both mine and my youngest son’s, and made-up bits thrown in for good measure. The initial story spark, however, came from observing the magical bond between my son and one of my dogs, Claude.

When we went to collect Claude many years’ ago, the first person he wanted to greet was my son. Claude sat on his lap, licked his cheeks, wagged his tail whenever he got near, and basically followed him everywhere. Nine years later, their relationship is much the same. Claude senses when my son is feeling overwhelmed or sad and needs him. It’s extraordinary and a real privilege to witness. 

What drew you to writing?

I’ve always written, since as young as four years old probably. When I was a child, I’m not sure if I knew why I was writing exactly, I just enjoyed the process of immersing myself in fictional worlds and taking characters through endless possibilities. Now, as an adult, and understanding so much more about myself, I realise how writing was not only an escape back then, but often a way for me to process the world and all the things that were happening to me. Some people draw, some dance, some run… I wrote. 

What was your process for writing All the Small Wonderful Things?

I carried the story around in my heart and head for a long long time, always thinking about it, always adding scenes, drawing from real life whenever it seemed right. It took me years to finally sit down and draft the story since it was so personal, and I guess I needed to be in the right place emotionally to commit and launch myself into it. But when I did ALL THE SMALL WONDERFUL THINGS fell out of me in about three weeks! Which is very quick for a first draft, I admit. Also, I’ll be honest, other than polishing it up with the help and guidance of some fantastic editors, the story itself hasn’t changed at all. 

What is your approach to world and character building?

Well, my books are contemporary and drawn from real-life places where I live or have lived, so I’m lucky in that world-building doesn’t require a great deal of my writing energy. I simply go for a walk with my dogs and immerse myself in the location when a scene requires more description or additional sensory connection. I so admire authors of fantasy and sci-fi novels for building, from scratch, entire universes, belief systems, and everything else that goes with it.

However, character building is something that takes time and care because my books are very character focused. If I don’t get my characters right then I know I will lose readers. Thankfully I love the process from start to finish! Apart from the usual tools of creating physical descriptions, listing likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, investigating their past, their goals, their dreams – and that’s for ALL the characters who feature in the story, even those with bit-parts – there are three rules I stick by:

1. The goal, conflict and stakes for my characters may seem trivial in the grand scheme of things, but to that character right there and then, they are everything. They are life-changing and all that matter. 

2. Every character who appears in my story, no matter how big their part, is at the centre of their own story, so they each require detailed profiling, their own goal, conflict and stakes, and all of that should in some way affect my main character’s growth. 

3. Even if readers disagree with the choices my character makes, what matters is making sure they understand why my character made the choice. This is where the magic of teaching and building empathy lies. 

How would you describe All the Small Wonderful Things in five words?

Warm, welcoming, wholesome, friendly, insightful. 

Did you have a favourite moment in the book to write?

Honestly, all of it, which I know is a complete cop-out! So, not to annoy anyone… I’ll say the final few chapters. I realised when writing the last scenes of ALL THE SMALL WONDERFUL THINGS that my character could still learn valuable life lessons and become wiser but while getting everything he wanted! You may think that’s a spoiler but I’m sure you’ll still be surprised when you read it. 

What was your favourite book growing up?

I grew up in the UK during the 80s which I imagine affected my reading choices to some degree, but I loved THE LION THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, most books by Enid Blyton, and THE WORST WITCH series by Jill Murphy.

Do you have a favourite genre to read?

Not really. I mainly read chapter books and middle grade fiction now, and within those categories I’ll consume everything from fantasy to sci-fi to contemporary to mystery to comedy. And I have a real soft spot for horror!