Anna's Garden by Sarah Hewitt

Today I am thrilled to have an interview with Sarah, read on to find out more about her inspirations and what makes her happy. Spoiler (not really) alert, a lot of nature is involved!

Interview

To start with, would you like to say a little about your inspirations for the book?

The story of the book's creation can be read in detail here. My inspiration came from my own experience as a child with dyspraxia and my late daughter Beth's love of gardening.  I hope Anna's Garden empowers all children to be the wonderful people they really are. As a child I wished I could be like everyone else, but now I feel blessed by the things I can do well such as writing and drawing, because while neurodiversity can bring challenges, it can also bring wonderful gifts. Anna's Garden is also a book about kindness - I truly believe that most problems can be solved by simple kindness and understanding and that it is the most important lesson we can teach our children.

I love the illustrations, have you always liked to draw as well as write?

Thank you! Drawing is my first love. I was always encouraged by my family and spent many hours with my maternal grandfather in particular, drawing and painting. He was the inspiration for my first picture book 'Grandad'. The transformational experience of being a mature student on the Children's Book illustration MA at Cambridge School of Art when I was 46, was magical, and underpins all that I do creatively. I describe the illustration process for Anna's Garden step by step here.

Do you have a garden of your own? What is your favourite flower?

I do have a garden - although I am so busy with my books in my spare time that the gardening is usually done by my lovely husband Richard - helped by our labrador Indy!

My favourite flower changes with the seasons - I always feel happy when I see the daffodils appearing because it means that all is to come with the promise of sunshine, spring and summer. The smell of roses always takes me back to wonderful summer childhood days spent in the garden with my dad. 

Here is Anna sitting in our garden:) 

What a wonderful message at the end, 'Do What Makes You Happy!' What are some of the little things that make you happy?

The things that make me happy are spending time with my family and friends, and of course drawing (which always makes me happy, even on the days when I wake up feeling sad). I also treasure hearing the birds and watching the seasons change when I'm with Indy on our early morning walks. So much makes me happy - the common denominator to all my friendships is laughter - and it is definitely the best medicine.

Finally, what is your favourite cocktail or drink?

My favourite cocktail is an espresso martini - I love the fact it is like choosing the coffee creme chocolate from a selection box every time! My favourite drink is Guinness served at the perfect temperature, enjoyed with friends, ideally in a bar in the Irish countryside.

Book Summary

Anna knows what she likes and what she is good at.

Even though catching a ball is not her favourite game and loud noises make her ears hurt, there are lots of other things that Anna can do.

Although she likes to spend time on her own, she is also very kind and loves sharing with others.

'Anna’s Garden' is a classic rhyming picture book with a charming art style. With a memorable cast and unique handling of its themes, this story will help young readers embrace their true selves.

Anna doesn't necessarily want to do the same things everyone else considers fun, but that doesn't mean she doesn't care about them all and want to be friends. She has a present for everyone and at the end shares what makes her happiest with all of them. I loved the wonderful descriptions of each of the people Anna meets on her way and the delightful, dreamy illustrations. The rhyming words flow so beautifully and lyrically.

Sarah's favourite cocktail is an Espresso Martini, but as I've already featured the usual one on my blog I thought I'd try an adaptation I've seen online. So here is an Espresso Rumtini!

Shake and strain into a cocktail glass - 45ml gold rum, 30ml espresso, 20ml coffee liqueur, dash of sugar syrup (according to your taste for sweetness!).

Spotlight on...
Paper Forests by Tegan Anderson

Today's spotlight is one of the finalists from 2023 BBNYA. Find it on Goodreads here. For more information on the BBNYA competition, see details at the end of the post. 

Book Summary

Once upon a time, Oliver wakes up in a Forest full of magic and monsters, not quite dead, but not quite alive either. He wakes with three other people whose lives have been cut short, each more tragically than the last.

Together, they embark on a journey that will take them deep into the heart of the Forest, where they will have to face the ghosts of their pasts and their long-hidden secrets. Secrets that will force Oliver to choose between finding a new life in the trees and finding a way home.

Welcome to the Paper Forest.

Author Bio

On a cold Autumn evening back in 2008, seven-year-old Tegan Anderson began to write their first short stories, finding a more creative way to learn their spellings. Many years and many more short stories later, they haven't stopped for anything. Now, they're writing more than they ever believed possible. Tegan may write the worlds they would prefer to exist in but currently lives in Devon with their overflowing bookshelves and expanding imagination.

About BBNYA

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

A Swift Return by Fiona Barker

Book Summary

Aria has her head in the clouds. Yusuf keeps his feet on the ground. But when they work together to save a bird who has lost her way, something magical happens. When Swift loses her way on her epic migration. Aria and Yusuf come to her rescue and are inspired to think big about looking after the sky above their city. Inspired by Fiona and Howard’s love for wildlife of all kinds, A Swift Return is the follow-up to Setsuko and the Song of the Sea. Howard’s beautiful illustrations evoke a strong sense of place, strengthened by the beautiful Arabic text distilled by Maysoon AbuBlan.

This book has such beautiful full page pictures with wonderful perspectives, views from the sky and the ground and in between. There's so much empathy in the children's expressions. I loved how helping the swift made them friends, then they worked to helped make the city a nicer place for everyone, including the wildlife.

Author Bio

Fiona is a middle-aged, married mum of one. She is positively potty about picturebooks; reading them and writing them. When writing, she longs for alliterative loveliness but is reluctant to rhyme. When reading, she looks for a marriage of words and artwork and loves anything that is fun to read aloud.

Fiona loves doing school author visits and speaking to adults about picture books and children's publishing.

Visit www.fionabarker.co.uk for details of forthcoming events.

To make an Alpine Swift, shake the following ingredients with ice: 40ml gold rum, 20ml Aperol, 20ml pineapple juice, 20ml lime juice, 10ml sugar syrup. Then pour into an ice filled julep cup.

Lie or Die by A.J. Clack

Described as perfect for fans of TV's The Traitors, Lie or Die publishes on 7th March. I have to admit I hadn't even heard of The Traitors until I read this book so I can't say how true that it but it is definitely worth a read anyway!

Book Summary

When a casting call is announced for new reality TV show Lie or Die, Kass is tricked into auditioning by her best friend. Billed as Big Brother meets Mafia, Lie or Die pits contestants against each other as they try to discover who is a murderous agent and who is an innocent player. But when contestants start to turn up dead (the real kind, not the fake kind), Kass realises that not being eliminated and winning the game is the least of her worries. No longer a game of truth and lies, Kass and her friends are in a fight for survival. 'Reality' just got very real.

This was really fast paced and gripping, I found myself suspecting quite a few characters but never would have guessed the final twist (or multiple twists!).

Kass was a great protagonist, I liked her superpower of being able to tell when people were lying which is a definite bonus for a game like this. At one point I started to wonder if it was going to be an unreliable narrator thing. It is in the name, Lie or Die and they keep saying, trust no one! However, I won't tell you if I was right as I don't want to risk spoilers!!! I'm afraid I just couldn't like Thea. I think she sounded like the crappest friend no matter what Kass had done or how much she defends her. Lewis was really cool though and held the group together.

I never totally understood the game, or how their personalities would help anyone guess who the killers were as their parts in the game were totally random! But in the end it didn't really matter and it wasn't totally necessary for the story.

I'll be eagerly looking out for more by A.J. Clack and hope I won't have to wait too long!

Author Bio

A.J. Clack moved from a small village in Wales to London, to pursue a career in television. She worked on a wide range of shows from Teletubbies to Friends, while also writing plays for the Edinburgh Fringe and development scripts/pilots for childrenʼs television. She now lives in Essex with a houseful of teenagers and can often be found freezing on the side of a rugby pitch.

While on holiday in Mauritius, we asked for a blue cocktail and this is what showed up! It matched the book so beautifully 😍

I have no idea what it's called but I think it involves tropical juice, probably plenty of rum, and definitely blue curacao.