Thank you Laura for the interview!

Who is Laura Noakes

Her debut book, Cosima Unfortunate Steals a Star, was published by Harper Collins on May 25th 2023 and the sequel, Cosima Unfortunate Foils a Fraud, is due to be published on June 6th 2024.

Interview

What was your inspiration for Cosima Unfortunate Steals a Star?

I started with wanting to write a story where disabled characters got to be action heroes, mixed in my love of heists and I wanted to put my history PhD to use so I set my novel in Victorian London!

What drew you to writing middle grade?

Middle grade books are my go-to as a reader and I think there is something SO special about stories aimed at that age range. Whenever I feel hopeless or worn out, I pick up a middle grade book and normally feel back to myself after the first few chapters—they are imbued with hope and magic and always fill me to the brim with inspiration.

How did you choose which character to centre the story around? 

Cos chose me! She tumbled into my head one day and demanded she have an adventure. Although Cos and I share a disability, Cos is a lot more confident than I was at her age, so in a way she’s kind of my hero for being so unapologetically herself.

What was your process for writing Cosima Unfortunate Steals a Star?

It was a long and very educational process! I started tentatively writing the MS in June 2020, when we were in the midst of the first lockdown.

I was lucky enough to get a place on a WriteMentor course at a very early stage of writing, and so I workshopped my opening chapters with some very talented writers and had the fabulous Maz Evans as a mentor! 

This course was crucial in building up my confidence enough to apply for the WriteMentor Summer Mentoring Programme, where I was mentored by author-superstar Jonathan Eyers. We worked together on my book for the entire summer, and then I tinkered with it throughout the Autumn.

My 2022 New Years resolution was to query agents, and completely unexpectedly I managed to snag my amazing agent Lydia in January! (I remember sobbing whilst I waited to pick my husband up from work because I saw the email where she offered rep!). Lydia and I did another round of edits before going on submission to publishers in March 2022.

I was absolutely gobsmacked when the HarperCollins Children’s Books wanted to publish my book. There was lots more happy-crying and disbelief and more edits but at the end of it all, Cosima Unfortunate Steals a Star was published in May 2023, nearly three years after writing the very first words.

What is your approach to world and character building?

I have to say I take a bit of a historian’s approach. For world building in particular I read a lot of history books for research, taking notes along the way. Character’s come more with time, and with drafts—each one gets me closer to the heart of a character.

How would you describe Cosima Unfortunate Steals a Star in five words?

Cake, bravery, mysteries, heists and friendship.

What can readers expect for Cosima Unfortunate Foils A Fraud??

More cake! There’s also a dash of art theft, a new but equally nefarious villain and a cat (based on my own cat, Scout!)

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

I love writing the moments when a plan comes together and everyone has a part to play and knows exactly what they need to do. It feels like magic in my fingertips.

What was your favourite book growing up?

Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson. I recently re-read it and it absolutely holds up as a masterpiece of children’s literature.

Do you have a favourite genre to read?

This is going to come as no surprise…but middle grade books with a mystery at their heart!