Kate Cann 

On Tuesday 11^th March DGGS was lucky enough to receive a visit from award winning author Kate Cann. The visit was specifically for year ten as that is the age range that her books are aimed at, so period three, after break half of the year assembled in C3 to listen to what Kate had to say and participate in a workshop.  

I was in the first group to meet Kate and she started off by telling us how she came to be an author, which involved being a copy editor and reading lots of teen books that approached sex as either rape and sexual assaults thus painting a bad picture, or as a wonderful, happy ever after, famous boy declares love for normal girl for no apparent reason (i.e. complete fantasy). It was for this reason that Kate decided to start writing a book that was a good story and portrayed a sexual relationship for all that it was.  

As the session progressed Kate told us how she dealt with letters of rejection and finally getting published. We were then told about her novel ‘Leaving Poppy’ which is a gothic novel. Kate read a rather chilling part of the story and then proceeded to hand out a sheet of paper with 1, 2 and 3 typed onto it. This was the workshop. We were then asked to sit up straight and close our eyes and imagine what Kate was telling us. We then had to write down what we had imagined. For example we were told to imagine that we were in a dark wood that was full of trees with not a leaf on them. Then we had to write what was scarier- a scream or a laugh and what we would do after hearing the scream or laugh. This was followed by a question and answer session followed by, for the group that I was in, period four.  

At lunchtime, Emily and I were invited to go to the library and have lunch with Kate where I interviewed her to find out a bit more about what her life is like and what she thinks of things. Kate was happy to sit down with the two of us and asked us about what we would like to do in the future (for me a reporter or work in publishing after being inspired by what Kate had told us earlier, for Emily a historian), after giving us some advice on how to advance in the world I asked Kate my first question ‘do you believe in ghosts and have you ever seen one?’ Kate told me of how she doesn’t believe in ghosts- as they appear as people, however she does believe that we are not in the only reality. I continued to find out that Kate had changed her style of books from romance and reality to quite a dark genre because she had found it almost natural to change and it was like a breath of fresh air, the ideas for her books come from everywhere and that the people in her books are a kind of meshing of the people that she knows and her imagination. A tip from Kate is to ‘take public transport because you can eavesdrop without anyone telling you off!’Kate always starts off by editing whatever she has written the day before and tries to write from ten o’clock to three o’clock as this is when she finds it easiest to write. It takes Kate on average eight or nine months to write and she has a book coming out every year.Overall the sessions with Kate were a huge success and we at DGGS wish her all the best for her future books! 

FACTS 

If Kate Cann was stranded on a desert island and could only take one book (excluding Shakespeare and the Bible) it would be ‘The History of the World’ because she has always wanted to read what happened in chronological order as there is so much that is missed out in schools. It would also mean that she would not be bored of reading it like a novel because it would take her a very long time to read whereas a novel would not take very long at all.  

Kate’s newest book ‘Possessing Rayne’ is her favourite book and is another gothic novel. It will be out this July.  

*Star Reporter Hannah

On Thursday 17^th July, Author Kelly Mckain visited DGGS. Kelly spent all day talking to students about what it was like to be a writer, and also helping them to develop their own stories and characters. At the end of a long day, Sophie, Grace and Reporter Hannah sat down with Kelly. Sophie and Grace asked the questions whilst reporter Hannah captured this exclusive DGGS interview on her secret recording device aimed to catch out the celebs ….Here is the interview. 

Grace: What inspired you to start writing?

Kelly: I don’t know really, I just seem to have always been writing because I really enjoy it.

Grace: How did you come up with the name for the Totally Lucy books?

Kelly: We started doing literal names like Fantasy Fashion and Make Over Magic. And once we did that they all had to follow the same pattern. Generally you come up with one and you know it works. We had one recently where we thought we were going to call the book Dream Designs, but then changed it to Planet fashion as it sounded better.

Grace: Do you like the idea of Totally Lucy being a TV series. And if it was a TV series would you like to be involved in the casting?

Kelly: I would love it to be a TV series, and be involved in casting but the author is usually the last person who is consulted., and of course if I was in charge you 2 would be in it

Grace: Do you think the Totally Lucy series would be as successful if Lucy was not in to fashion if Jules was not a rock chic and if Tilda was not a braniac?

Kelly: That’s a really good question as obviously if they were not who they are, it would be a completely different book. I’m sure it would still be a fun, but I like the fact that they are all so different but they are still friends, and they don’t expect people to be the same as them in order for them to be friends.

Grace: Could you relate any of Lucy’s adventures to your own?

Kelly: No I wish we had, had a catwalk thing at school and that I had been in a movie, all of that stuff, but obviously it is made more exciting because it is in a book, real life is not like that. Although I was an extra in a TV series once which was fun, so I sort of know about that a little bit. And I did a little bit of modelling when I was younger, but it’s not like it is in the books.  

Sophie: what TV series was it?

Kelly: Oh love stories… I think its probably on UK TV gold now, I was only 16. I was in scene where your were not aloud to talk while the actors were talking, but I was in like a group where I was drinking, eating and chatting – but I was not aloud to make any noise.  So you have to really exaggerate movements.  ;-)

Sophie: Are Lucy or Jules based on anyone you know?    

Kelly: Not really, I have a friend called Lucy and a friend called Jessica who are both into fashion design so that is where Lucy’s name came from. Lucy is probably based on me in some ways because I have a little brother, and it was just me my mom and my brother. Also my dad is very much like Lucy’s dad, and sometimes I worry that my dad is going to be offended by the books saying things like ‘he is an immature man’ . But he doesn’t seem to mind, so that is ok.

Sophie: Do you think the totally Lucy series should be continued with Lucy growing up into an adult and becoming an inspiration to older readers?

Kelly: That is a really good question, but I don’t think it can continue as I cant make her 14, 15, or 16 in the books as the subject matter is going to be to grown up for the people who are reading it now. So for now we will have to stop, maybe in future we can carry on with her as an adult.

Sophie: Would you start to write another series of books about somebody from Lucy’s family?

Kelly: That would be a good idea. I had thought of writing about Jules winning a scholarship at a stage school in London and having a Just Jules type book and having a sort of Angel/ Buffy situation where Lucy makes a ‘guest appearance’ occasionally. But I don’t know really if I am just better to leave them as they are.

Sophie: How old were you when you first started writing?

Kelly: As soon as I could write I started writing stories, but I have always really loved doing it. I used to want to be a journalist, I don’t know why but I didn’t realise that writing stories was actually a proper job so I thought being a journalist was the next best thing.

Sophie: Out of Jules, Tilda and Lucy who would you say you are most like and why?

Kelly: Probably Lucy in some ways in that her family and my family are very similar, and because she is the main character a lot of my experiences are things I have drawn on. I would like to be more like Tilda, only really I don’t think I am but I would like to be. Sometimes I would like to be more like Jules as I am sometimes  shy, and she is like ‘hey, lets go and do this’ but I’m not really. Who are you most like?

Sophie: I don’t know really…

Kelly: You are like Jules Hannah as your all like a Goth princess..

Hannah: There you go Jules has got a sister…

Kelly: We need a more Spanish name though

Hannah: Brie like the cheese…  

 Above: Mr Single during the Humanities launch in Fancy dress.

Arriving promptly at 1pm in the library, Mr Single (English teacher and Director of the Humanities) looked unduly nervous. However after the first question was asked he seemed to relax a little and start to enjoy being interviewed for Book Blast. 

I started off with a relatively easy question and received the ‘correct’ answer that you would expect from an English teacher. The first question being ‘do you like reading? The answer- the expected: yes! The second part of my first question enabled us to see a little more into Mr Single’s childhood. Mr Single’s parents used to encourage their children to read as much as possible with his mother taking him and his siblings to the library often. As a young boy, Mr Single also had a love of reading ‘The Magic Faraway Tree’ books by Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl books as he grew older. His favourite Dahl book was ‘George’s Marvellous Medicine’ though he himself never tried to feed his grandmother some disgusting ‘medicine’!! 

As I was told that his one of his favourite genres was Greek mythology I thought it was rather appropriate that, coincidentally, there was a book behind him on Greek mythology.  As well as mythology, Mr Single also enjoys reading auto-biographies, biographies and of course the classics.  

My next question was one that I always want to ask as I think that it is a very important piece of information to know about someone- especially an English teacher, because we are always being told that it is important to read. Mr Single appreciates that reading helps with creative writing, the ability to think and argue as well as benefiting literacy skills but also believes that it is escapism. Escapism is where you can forget about the world around you, focus on the story and be transported to another place.  

When I asked what he was currently reading, Mr Single brought out a copy of ‘The Dangerous Book for Boys’ whilst explaining to me that he is actually reading three books at once which he hasn’t done for years. Another book that he is currently reading is Stephen Fry’s autobiography. He has always been a fan of Stephen Fry and thought that he should read his autobiography before embarking on reading his novels.  

After deciding that ‘101 things to do on a Desert Island’ and ‘Cooking for one on a Desert Island’ were not really what he would want to read on a desert island despite their usefulness, Mr Single decided on something that would make him laugh yet think at the same time.  

William Shakespeare is the one author that Mr Single would like to meet (the question saying that the author could be dead or alive) because there is so much that is unknown about him for example whether he did write the plays and where or who he got his inspiration from.  

My next question was about books that have been made into films and whether Mr Single thinks that they are good or a bad reflection on how interesting a book was. Even though he enjoys watching films at the cinema and on DVD sometimes he finds a book that has been made into a film disappointing as everyone interprets a book in a different way and a film is just one person’s interpretation, although he did enjoy the early Harry Potter films and ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’.

My penultimate question was to enquire what Mr Single, as Director of the Humanities, plans to do to benefit our school. Things planned include: activities to benefit both the school and local community, more opportunities for extracurricular activities, introduction of new courses and a look at even more ways to approach teaching and learning at DGGS. 

Finally I asked how Mr Single’s first term at DGGS had been and whether it was what he had expected. He told me that everyone had been patient and helpful and it was much better than he expected it would be! 

Book Blast would like to thank Mr Single for giving up his lunchtime so Hannah could interview him and we hope that it was not as bad as he was expecting!! 

Hannah 10H 

(One of Mr Single’s favourite pieces of advice from ‘The Dangerous Book for Boys’ falls into the girls category and is: If you see a girl in need of any help, unable to lift something for example, do not taunt her. Approach her with a cheerful smile whilst surreptitiously testing the weight of the object. If you find you can lift it go ahead, if you can’t, try sitting on it and engaging her in conversation.)

On Friday 28^thSeptember year 8 set out to Dover Grammar School for Boys. We were going to see Michelle Paver the author of the ‘Chronicles of Ancient Darkness’. She was there to promote her latest book ‘Outcast’. We had been warned that it would be raining that day and took coats and umbrellas. However we thought that raining meant light showers. We were terribly wrong. We had to endure a 20-minute walk in the pouring rain, becoming drenched and fighting the wind.  

We finally arrived at the foot of the enormous hill that DGSB is situated on. Umbrellas frequently turned inside out as we trudged up the hill that had by this time turned into a cascading waterfall. We were all relieved and glad to arrive at the entrance. Our school were guided into the hall and sat down to brush our hair. We waited for about 10 to 15 minutes for the other schools to arrive. There were children from schools located all over Dover and Deal, primary and secondary. There was a buzz of talking, laughter and constant questions of “how do I look?” and “is my hair ok?”. The noise dimmed to silence though when the head of DGSB Mrs Lees stood up to introduce Michelle Paver.  

Michelle stood up in front of a table laden with a very impressive flower display and other objects such as a seal skin, reindeer gloves and antlers. She gave an excellent talk telling us about the things that she did when she was writing the books, for example she traveled to Greenland and stayed with the Inuit clans for some research for her second book Spirit Walker. She fascinated the audience which stories of what they did with a seal once it was killed. No part of it is wasted. Every single bit is used. For example, the bones can be turned into needles or hairpins.  She also explained that ever since she was very small she has a passion for the cavemen era and for wolves. Michelle had a spaniel when she was growing up and often imagined it to be her wolf that she went hunting with and lived with, this inspired her as well.

After her speech we were allowed to buy books or collect them if we had pre-ordered any. She signed them and stamped them with a wolf paw stamper. I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to interview Michelle later on in the day after the event. 

Here is a copy of my interview. 

Question 1: When did you write your first ever book?

I wrote a book about a boy and a wolf when I was 5 years old on my mother’s typewriter. 

Question 2: Why did you become an author when there are so many other careers fit for a person who has a passion for wolves and the time of the cavemen?

Well I thought that too when I was younger but I decided that writing was my favourite as being an archaeologist would need patience and I have a very low patience level. With writing it can go at any speed that I want it to.

 Question 3: What are you going to call your next book?

The 5^th book is going to be called Ghost Hunter. There will be another book after that.  

Question 4: When you wrote the first book, did you ever imagine that it would turn into a six-part series?

No I didn’t. I never imagined it. I knew that after the first book Wolf Brother I would have to write a sequel though and the chronicles of ancient darkness developed.  

Question 5: Who is your favorite author?

I like the authors like Jane Austen and her era. I find them very intriguing.

Overall it was a very good day out. We all enjoyed the experience of meeting a real author and we would like to thank the librarian and the English department for taking us.

Clad in denim jeans, a surfer top and sporting a wavy head of hair, author of ‘Asboville’ Mr Danny Rhodes (“call me Danny”) visited year nine students at Dover Girls Grammar School June 2007 to discuss his book.  Asboville is the story of a teenage boy JB who lives on an estate and hangs around with the bad crowd. He receives an ASBO and is sent to live by the sea with his uncle. Each day he must paint one beach hut. He befriends Sal, a local girl however disaster strikes and he must try to keep his friendship with Sal strong. The ending is not expected yet finishes the book off well.

Over the course of four lessons year nine studied extracts of the book so it seemed ideal for Danny to come in to talk about how he went about writing as well as where he acquired his inspiration from. The idea of the afternoon was to expose girls to real authors instead of just reading books and thinking that authors are not actual people!

From initial idea to completed book it took Danny two years to write, this involves a lot of patience and determination. Without a positive frame of mind it is very difficult to believe that the book will ever be finished let alone published. A teenage love story was what Danny was aiming for however when it became obvious how much the ASBO issue was in the press, the idea for linking two ideas emerged and ‘Asboville’ was born!

Danny considers his book as representative of what ‘one slice’ of teenagers lives might be like. However the book is not supposed to be representative of all teenagers as everyone is different in their own way.    

Throughout his years of teaching Danny has met a number of different students with a range of diverse personalities. Asboville sheds light on what some of the traits of these pupils were, in addition to letting the characters have their own distinct qualities. The main character JB is loosely based on a pupil that Danny once taught which makes the storyline more believable to the reader.

When asked Danny was slightly thrown by the question ‘Do you think that your book has encouraged more teenagers to read?’ and he answered ‘crikey’ but went on to say that if he could have encouraged just a handful of people to read his book because it was more like their lives he would be happy.  

Following the visit year nine felt compelled to discuss, in English lessons, how they are portrayed in the community and how they are stereotyped because of the school they attend. The afternoon was an insight into not only writing a book, but also how grammar school girls are viewed.  

Interview by reporter Hannah 10H

On the 22^nd of March author Kelly McKain came to visit DGGS. She ran a series of creative writing workshops in the library with year 7 and at lunchtime signed copies of her series of books ‘Totally Lucy’. This is an interview conducted by Hannah 9H

Q: Why did you decide you wanted to be an author?

A:  I decided to be an author because I love creating stories and making people laugh. However to be an author you have to be courageous.

Q: Was your aspiration when you were little always to work with children?

A:  It was never my aspiration to work with children but I did work as an English teacher in a school in London for a while before becoming a full time author.

Q: Did you enjoy being an English teacher; have you found it to be helpful?

A:  I enjoyed being an English teacher and I found that I was putting together amusing stories for my class.

Q: Did you base any of the characters on people that you know or grew up with?

A: Lucy from my ‘Totally Lucy’ series is based on two of my friends- Lucy who is a designer and Jessica who is a fashion designer hence where Lucy Jessica came from.

Q: How long does it take you to write a book?

A: The ‘Totally Lucy’ books take about 3 months each to write, the ‘Fairy House’ books take about 6 weeks to write and the ‘Goddess Society’ books take 5-6 months each. I can usually write about 2 books at once.

Q: What is the future for the ‘Totally Lucy’ books?

A: The books are being turned into a live action TV series and I am going to write 12 books overall. At the moment I have just finished writing the ninth book.