Please tell us a little about
yourself.
I was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland. I spent most of my
childhood playing outside with my brother and my imaginary friends and feasting
on my granny’s home cooking.
After leaving school, I went to college and university (part-time) and
embarked on a career in the health and safety sector, qualifying in 1993.
I met my husband through my work and have 4 children.
Now, I spend my time looking after my family, taking care of our
collection of animals, nurturing the kitchen garden, learning Spanish, speaking
Spanish and writing.
What projects have been published?
I have 2 books published at the
moment in my children’s series, The Adventures of Cecilia Spark. Book 1 is called
the Brimstone Forest and the second book is called the Mystical Mountains of
Terra.
Tell us about the Mystical Mountains of Terra.
This is Cecilia Spark’s first BIG adventure. A race against time.
Good versus evil. Cecilia and Soldier have to find the Sceptre of Malvado.
However, the sceptre is at risk of falling into the wrong hands, and Soldier’s
fate depends on its recovery. The question is, can Cecilia and Soldier find the
sceptre before the total eclipse of the sun, or will someone else beat them to
it?
They
meet new characters during their quest and have lots of thrills and spills on the
way.
The
story is fully illustrated throughout, illustrator Peter Maddocks, and is a
chapter book suitable for 4-9-year-old girls and boys.
What was your inspiration?
I
wanted to take children on a journey of discovery to places in the world they
may never visit themselves. I wanted to introduce creatures real and mythical
to encourage the reader to think about the world they live in. The places that
I wrote about in the Mystical Mountains of Terra are based on real places.
One of
the creatures Cecilia and Soldier encounter is named after a critically
endangered or indeed extinct, sub-species of tiger.
What are you currently working on?
I’m working on 2 projects at the
moment. The first project is book 3 in my series and I’ve gone in a mystical direction.
And, the second project is an A-Z
rhyming book that I’m creating with my daughter. She is doing the
illustrations; she’s an extremely talented artist. This book isn’t part of the
Adventures of Cecilia Spark series, although it could be seen as an
introduction for younger readers to my series.
What are you reading at the moment?
At the moment I’m not reading
anything, because I’ve just finished Journey to Freedom by K Meador. I loved
this book … I loved the back drop, set in 19th Century America at
the time of the Civil War.
However, I think my next read
will be Hollywood Shakedown by Mark Barry.
What do you like to do in your free time when you're not reading or
writing?
I love doing things with my kids
and husband, whether it’s playing dominoes or going for a lovely walk at the
river; this time is so precious. I enjoy spending time with our animals of
which we have plenty. And, if I have any spare time left, meeting up with a
girlfriend for a coffee.
Do you have any advice for other authors?
Keep at
it! Even if you’ve had rejections from traditional publishers or agents, don’t
give up. Look in to the self-publishing route.
Its hard work, but your guaranteed self-satisfaction and you meet some
fabulous people en-route!
And finally, can you tell us some fun
facts about yourself, such as crossed skydiving off my bucket list.
Well,
I’m scared of heights and I thought to cure my fear I would do a bungee jump.
Worse mistake I ever made. When the time
came to letting go of the railings to plunge 200+ metres to the ground I nearly
lost it. I still cannot remember the free-fall; my mind went blank! Needless to
say I have never attempted another bungee jump, and I’ve decided to live with
my fear of heights and stay at ground level!
You
can find out more about Cecilia Spark and her adventures at
ww.ceciliaspark.com
Purchase
links:
US http://www.amazon.com/Ngaire-Elder/e/B006VXOUN8
UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ngaire-Elder/e/B006VXOUN8
Two of my favourite people in one room. Ab absolute pleasure! :-) Lovely interview...
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