Kid Normal is the first book in a laugh-out-loud funny adventure series for 8+ readers from popular radio personalities Greg James and Chris Smith. We caught up with Greg James to talk to him about his new joint project and what made him laugh-out-loud when he was a kid.
Chris Smith and Greg James by Jenny Smith
What can readers expect for your new book Kid Normal?
The story is first of all very funny, and that is something that me and Chris are linked with- we have a very funny sense of humour. We love silly ideas and outrageous characters. We were inspired by all the usual things from when we were kids- we loved Roald Dahl and old cartoons and P.G. Wodehouse and all those kinds of things- the Jeeves and Wooster silly stuff. But we also wanted to make a really sweet story with a lot of heart and a nice message for kids who maybe feel a bit out of place or like they haven’t found their ‘thing’ yet- those who are a bit lost at school. Many kids get that feeling at school that everyone is really tall and big, impressive, really good at sport and confident in everything they do. They just feel normal and wonder how they are ever going to be as good as or talented as the others. I think it captures that feeling that everyone has of when you feel a bit lost when you go to a new school.
You have already said you share the same sense of humour but why else did you decide to collaborate with Chris Smith on this project?
Me and him have worked for so long together on the radio; it’s been nearly ten years that we have being doing stuff together. We always make each other laugh and we always do little bits before the show. We always create characters and voices and games so we just thought why don’t we try something else? Why don’t we write these ideas down into an actual story? We both love storytelling, we both love making people laugh- particularly that age group. They are a really great age group because they like to use their imagination. You are quite uncynical at the age of ten. You are free and probably at your most brilliantly creative. You don’t worry about being uncool- you’re like ‘I’m just going to dress up as a spider today and I don’t care!’ They just go for it and we love that optimism. We wanted to write a story that celebrated that optimism. We just sat down and came up with a few ideas and this was out favourite one so we kept writing. Then Bloomsbury came on board and really liked it. They said ‘go off and go write some more- we want to hear the whole story’.
Did you have any ‘rage against the answer machine’ type moments while writing it?
Boringly- we just get on so well and it has just strengthened our friendship even more. The great thing about writing together is we were just sitting in a room trying to make each other laugh. I think the only frustrations were- we would just spend the whole time laughing and at the end of it go- ‘Oh my god, we have to write some more words here!’ because the deadline was looming. We were both very encouraging of each other’s ideas so that was pretty helpful. There were no moments where we hated each other. It was quite the opposite- I have a new-found respect for him and how funny and clever he is.
Is writing something you have always wanted to pursue?
I’ve always enjoyed writing- I used to write comedies and sketches at University- I wrote a comedy a couple of years ago. I had honestly never really thought about writing a novel on my own because I felt daunted by it. That is why it was such an attractive proposition to try and write with someone else. I have always collaborated and I really enjoy collaborating with people. It seemed like the perfect option because I was writing with a friend so it felt less scary. I have written a book with Chris now and who knows, one day we could write books separately but at the moment we really enjoy doing this thing together. We are sort of holding each other’s hands as we learn about this world. I am really enjoying learning about the publishing world too- all the lovely people who are involved in it. It’s a whole new thing for us but it’s quite nice to have a friend alongside.
You have already mentioned Roald Dahl but did you have any other favourite reads when you were a kid?
I was a big fan of Enid Blyton, I loved The Magic Faraway Tree Books- they were wonderful. I used to read them quite a lot. Roald Dhal was my absolute go to and as I’ve already said, P.G. Wodehouse, Jeeves and Wooster- they were brilliant. I could never be without them.
And obviously when Harry Potter started that was the moment when everyone kind of went ‘ok it’s cool to read books!’
That’s another part of this as well- I have a young niece and nephew and Chris has a young ten year old son. We love encouraging them to read and to imagine things, to pick up a book and write their own stories. That was really part of the reason why we wanted to do it- to show them that it’s really cool!
Why is it important to spread the message that all kids can save the day even if their talents aren’t obvious to them right now?
I think there is a lot of pressure on everybody- particularly young people- to find their ‘thing’ or to find out what you are good at or excel at. It’s important to take the time with these sorts of things and not put too much pressure on it.
What the book is saying is the greatest superpower is normality and you can do amazing things even if you don’t think you are amazing. Just because Murph is a very normal kid doesn’t mean he is boring or has no talent. It just means that his thing is to be the leader of these mad superheroes. Everyone will see a bit of Murph in them- that is why we wanted to make the character like that and celebrate it. He doesn’t have an extraordinary superpower and he isn’t extraordinarily strong or great at football- he is just a really brilliant chap. I think a lot of people are searching for something they have probably already got. That’s what we are trying to get over with this book you have things within you- you just need someone to help bring it out for you.
Why was Erica Salcedo the perfect illustrator for your words?
We asked a lot of illustrators to put forward their interpretation of the characters and we had some really brilliant people audition for it. But when we saw Erica’s drawings- particularly the drawing of Mary- who is one of my favourite characters- I instantly said ‘that’s Mary! She has absolutely nailed it!’
There was something really sweet about the way she drew them- they were uncomplicated. It was clear what each character was about just from a very simple drawing and we loved the way she did it. It was a no brainier- immediately we just went- ‘it’s her!’ It was weird because we’d never met her and her first language is Spanish but she really got the book- the message of it and really understood the whole thing. It was her first children books too so it’s helping her to launch as well so we make a really nice team.
We know you are into your running, so do you find when you are out there it gives you any inspiration for your writing?
Always. When I’m running that is when I think of all my ideas. I feel like that is when I put everything into a filing cabinet when I am running. I love it- it’s one of my favourite things to do. In fact, when I finish on the phone with you I am going to go out for my jog. It’s sometimes a nice way to clear your head and get it all sorted.
What superpower would you like to have?
I would quite like to be able to click my finger and be somewhere else in the world immediately. I am always late- so when I think I need to be somewhere like work- I could save time on transportation and just click my fingers and be there.
What is next for you? Will there be another book??
There is! We have pretty much written the second book already and that comes out in March. We are just going around schools at the minute dressing up as the characters from the book and talking to children about it. It is so amazing to see their responses-I am really enjoying it. We went to a school last week and I was dressed up in a stupid big hat and a cloak which was brilliant. We have been doing a little book tour and we went to the CBBC festival too.
Kid Normal by Greg James and Chris Smith, illustrated by Erica Salcedo, publishes 13th July 2017 priced £6.99 (Bloomsbury)
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