WriteMentor Award: Chapter Book winner interview
Lucy Falkner won the Chapter Book category in the 2024 WriteMentor Novel & Picture Book Award judged by Bonnier Books UK editors and literary agents. Lucy shares her experience and writing advice.
How did you feel when you found out you won the WriteMentor Novel Award ?
I was surprised and thrilled in equal measure! Seagull Spies was my first chapter book so I was over the moon to see my little seagulls soar.
How did you celebrate?
With ice-lollies in the garden with my kids. My daughter is six and loves helping me with ideas for my stories so it was very much ‘our’ win – there was lots of excited cartwheeling around the garden!
Tell us a bit about your writing journey to date.
About five years ago, I had a magical day on the beach searching for mermaids with my daughter. I decided to write a story as a souvenir and a very talented friend drew me some pictures so I could print it out as a little book. I carried on writing stories for children I knew and gifted them for birthday presents. A couple of years later, I decided to take my writing seriously and enrolled on a picture book course. The following year I won the Books That Help Mentorship with Clare Helen Welsh and Little Tiger Press which was a fabulous experience! I branched out into chapter books last year and joined a brilliant CB critique group which has been invaluable.
Tell us more about the winning book, ‘Seagull Spies‘.
The book is set at Captain Shadow’s School for Seagull Spies where the cadets learn how to use gadgets such as Beadyscopes and Robocrabs. My main character is very eager and beady-eyed but has a habit of getting distracted and crash-landing, something that ultimately helps him to save the day.
What inspired the idea?
Growing up in Cornwall, my godfather told us that seagulls were spies for Father Christmas. It made total sense to me that seagulls would be spies! I started wondering what they were watching as they lined up silently on the pub roof. What intelligence were they sharing as they squawked urgently over the beach? What were they searching for when they pecked in the rockpools? Sadly, he passed away during the pandemic. He was clever and funny and is hugely missed. He would be chuckling away if he knew that his silly comment about seagulls all those years ago had led me here!
What was the WriteMentor Award experience like for you, as an entrant?
It’s always nerve-wracking to send your work out into the world but the team at WriteMentor run the awards with great consideration and are very supportive of the entrants.
What advice would you give other writers when entering writing awards in the future?
Ask someone you trust to read through your work and then go for it! Nothing ventured, nothing gained…
Any general writing advice for writers of children’s fiction?
For me, it has been essential to find a trusted little group of writers to critique my work, share the highs and lows and offer pearls of wisdom. I simply wouldn’t be able to do it without them! Also, accept that writing is a craft that you have to learn and hone. Pull on some comfy trainers and settle into the marathon!
What’s next for your writing? Any new projects on the horizon?
The ideas keep coming! I’m enjoying my current WIP – an early chapter book which draws on my experience of working with children and celebrates urban nature. Having spent the last few years concentrating on honing my skills as a writer, I am now seeking representation.
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