Guest Author Interview - Stephan Myers

Today I am pleased to introduce children's author and illustrator, Stephan Myers. 

 

 

The Fun Five:

 

1.  What part of the world do you come from?

 

I was actually born in Hull.  A Yorkshire man born, but not bred.  I come from a service family and we moved on a regular basis both in the UK and Europe.

 

2.  What did you want to be when you grew up?

 

I wish I could say I had a particular ambition.  I was very much into athletics and it wasn't until later years that I chose a corporate career.

 

3.  List three words to describe yourself.

 

Tenacious, inquisitive, creative

 

4.  Who would play you in a film about your life?

 

I have no idea.  I don't watch TV and am a little out of touch, but it would have to be someone with a receding hairline!

 

5.  Who is your favourite author?

 

Carlos Ruiz Zafon has been my favourite author for many years.  Authors come and go but he has a magical turn of phrase that conjures a real sense of atmosphere in his books.  His children's books are simply superb.

 

The Sensible Six:

 

1.  What inspired you to write your first book?

 

My first story was actually The Prayer which I wrote after seeing an aide worker helping a young homeless child on a London street.  It was a little after midnight and something of an eye opener for me as I had just left a corporate dinner!  By the time my train arrived in the station I already had the story in my mind.  It's an image I will never forget and I often wonder what happened to the child they were helping.  It's had tremendous reviews and has reached over 100,000 readers so far.  Although the title suggests otherwise it isn't religious and has much in common with the Little Match Girl by HCA and A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens in terms of tone and tenor.

2.  What made you write for children rather than adults?

 

I've written several books for young adult and adult readers.  The YA novels feature Loss beyond The Book of Dreams as she reaches her teenage years.  The first is called Shadows in the Dark.  It carries on from the picture books and will be released after The Colour Silver is launched.  I hope this will be in 2016 as I am currently taking a break from the series to complete a couple of stand alone novels I want to release.

 

3.  Tell us a little about your illustrations.

 

The books are illustrated by myself and Nick Smith.  I had a clear idea of the characters from the very beginning, but every story sees them evolve a little more.  Nick is very much a traditional illustrator who shuns digital mediums and works solely in watercolour where as I'm quite happy working in different mediums.  I hope your readers will agree there is a timeless and magical element to the illustrations which really convey the spirit of the words.  They really are a pleasure to illustrate.

 

4.  Is Loss based on anyone you know?

 

A big no on that one.  She's more the culmination of many characters I read as a child.  I wanted a character that had a certain naivety but loved adventure.  We also wanted to create a character who was immediately recognisable.  Alongside Ted, Loss is always found in her PJs with her red dressing gown.

 

5.  What can we expect from you in the future?

 

We are currently rushing to complete Just Ted which we hope to release before Christmas and there will be a long fiction children's book featuring Loss and Ted in the New Year, but thereafter there will be a break of at least a year before anything else is released.

 

6.  How can we contact you or find out more about your books?

 

You can find out more about the books at www.lossdeplott.com there is the usual contact form on the site.

You can find me on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/stephanjmyers

and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/StephanJMyersAuthor

 

To receive 30% OFF everything on Stephan's site, quote TCRB10  http://www.lossdeplott.com/#/buy-the-books/4586913605