![]() So some of the storylines now are suggested by them, and some are ones I thought of myself (and one or two were suggested by my husband!) Because there are always so many Isadora Moon, Mirabelle and Emerald books in the pipeline, the OUP team will often suggest new plot ideas for upcoming titles, which we then develop together. I still work with Clare on some of my books, and I also work with several other editors, as well as a whole team of lovely designers, marketing and sales people, at OUP. This allows me to focus on writing all the books which come out each year, which is a big change, and a big help, from when I first started. As there were now two Isadora Moon and two Mirabelle books coming out each year, and I was working on writing and illustrating my middle-grade Victoria Stitch book, it wasn’t possible for me to write and fully illustrate all of the books by myself, so now I am assisted in the illustrations of the 'World of Isadora Moon' books by some wonderful copy artists. The first Mirabelle book launched in 2020, and was illustrated by Mike Love, based on my character designs and style. OUP asked for two more titles, and then some more, and then some more after that! Meanwhile, Isadora Moon had become particularly popular in Spain and the Spanish publisher, Penguin Random House, wanted even more titles every year! It was at this point that we started discussing a spin-off series featuring Mirabelle, who had now featured in several Isadora Moon titles and seemed to be a popular character in her own right. Luckily though, Isadora Moon Gets in Trouble, which introduced Isadora's naughty cousin Mirabelle, turned out to be a particularly popular title in the series, and sales across the whole series started to pick up pace. I panicked a bit when they said this, because my daughter had just been born and I hadn't worked up anything else that was ready to share! ![]() OUP asked if I had any ideas for a new series. Once these titles were finished, there was a brief time when it seemed like the Isadora Moon series would end at six titles. The first four books did reasonably well in the UK, and a little better overseas in countries such as Spain, and OUP had already commissioned two more titles, Isadora Moon Gets in Trouble and Isadora Moon Goes on a School Trip. Initially, I hadn't envisaged Isadora Moon being such a long series, so I only had one or two ideas for the other stories, but Clare worked with me to develop ideas for Isadora Moon having a birthday party, going on a school trip to see a ballet show, and going on a camping holiday (which was inspired by my childhood camping holidays in Cornwall). My wonderful editor Clare Whitston helped me polish it up, and a few small details were changed, such as Isadora's dad now drinking 'red juice' to avoid the awkward questions that might arise if he were a more traditional vampire. ![]() The published version isn't massively different from my original dummy book that I'd made myself. They were also really passionate about my vampire fairy character, and they contracted me to write an initial four Isadora Moon books. I was delighted when Oxford University Press expressed an interest and invited me and my agent for a meeting. I was really pleased with my first Isadora Moon story, all about this little vampire fairy girl who wasn't sure which school she should go to, and I asked my agent to send it out to publishers. I learned from this that my best work tends to come when I have time and space to develop the characters and stories in exactly the way that I envision them so that I can be really passionate about them. Some of these early books I created on my own before they were published, but others I developed with the publishers on board from the start. Although I'm very proud of my first few picture books, they weren't very successful or well known. My first published books were picture books that were only published in America, so they felt very distant. How has the publication process been for you? What has changed since then? Since your first Isadora Moon book was published in 2016, your writing has become a huge success. ![]() Her new book, Emerald and the Ocean Parade, was published on 2 March and introduces Emerald, Isadora's mermaid friend. Harriet Muncaster is the bestselling author of the Isadora Moon series and the middle-grade Victoria Stitch series (Oxford Children's Books). 'It takes effort to be kind and look out for others and to remember that we can still learn and grow as people, but children's books help to remind us of the value of doing so' ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |