Tom Gates Extra Special Treats (not)
What can you tell us about your new book Tom Gates Extra Special Treats (not) ?
Well the big news is that this is the first time one of my books has been published in hardback which gave me lots more ideas in itself with built in board games on the front and back cover. I love to cram in as much activity as I can in my books to go along with the story of Tom and his trials and tribulations. The story contains all the favourite characters from previous books - from his parents who he calls The Fossils to his long suffering teacher Mr Fullerman - along with some more about Tom's new neighbour.
This is the sixth book in the Tom Gates series, so what can you tell us about the previous five?
They all feature the tales of Tom who is somewhere between nine and 10 . He isn't what I would call naughty, he is more pesky. He always has good intentions like getting his homework done on time but he is always distracted by other things and is prone to doodling what's on his mind. The doodles alongside the words tell the stories of him and his friends and family. Tom is typical of a boy of that age in that he loves his music - his favourite band is Dude 3 - and has a fraught but funny relationship with his elder sister Delia.
How much do your children have an effect on what you write?
I'm a mum of three. Zack is my eldest at 22 and there is Ellie, 18 and Lily, 14. and seeing some of the things they got up to over the years have no doubt made their way into my books - from the scrapes they used to get into, to what they used to play when their friends came over. But I also remember when I was young and children today really aren't that much different. So I would say there is a little bit of everybody in my books.
You studied graphic design, so when did the writing part come into play?
I trained as a graphic designer a long time ago and I loved it. My first proper job was working for a record label called Jive where I was designing album covers. I had always loved drawing and illustrating so when I left the record label I worked designing greetings cards. While I was doing that people started asking me to illustrate their stories and I became an illustrator. As far as me starting to write as well as draw it was very much a case of saying to myself 'I can have a go at that!'. If you write your own stories you also don't have to wait for the phone to ring to know where your next job is coming from.
Your freelance work has appeared on a range of products so can you tell us a bit about which ones?
I doodle everywhere, not just on paper. I design my own Tom Gates badges and jewellery and have even customised shoes which are now covered in Tom Gates doodles.
What is your working process?
Well, first thing I do is to see the kids off to school or work and then clean the house. Once that's done I will make myself a nice cup of coffee and then take the arduous journey down the garden to the shed where I work. I handwrite the books and combine the words with the illustrations as I go so I am creating each book by hand, editing as I go. Pages are then scanned on the computer and the book takes shape. Even though I work in my garden shed I am also getting ideas for the Tom and his adventures everywhere I go. I'm always scribbling things down that may or may not end up in a book.
What is next for you?
It's an exciting time for me and for Tom Gates. I am already working on book seven and there will also be Tom Gates annuals next year. The success of the books has been tremendous and not just here in the UK. I think Tom is now published in 26 different languages from South Africa to Canada. As for Tom Gates The Movie, who knows? That's out of my hands but it would be amazing.
Tom Gates Extra Special Treats (not) is published by Scholastic and is available at www.amazon.co.uk.