Suzy Davies's Blog: Book News

When writing settings, the main thing to do is to put the reader there. Perhaps the most important place is the start of your story. Use all the senses to convince the reader they are experiencing the same sensations as your protagonists.

Settings should be used to show off character to full advantage. Think of the places your main character would typically be in/visit, and draw attention to aspects of setting that your character would be most effected by.

I sometimes find it useful to take just ONE sense for each important character, so that different characters could appear in the same setting, but experience it differently.

For example, I write children’s books. My mouse character Housie Mousie experiences a great deal through her nose :) so smell is very important. Focusing on just one aspect of sentience makes a character more memorable. I deliberately put Housie Mousie in places where there are interesting smells, for example, in a kitchen where apple pie sets her whiskers twitching, in a house where Mousie is intrigued by the medicinal smell of eucalyptus and so on.

Another middle grade book I have written features a young girl dog-sledding in a winter wonderland. She’s a musher and a violinist. So I made her a sensitive character, who feels all the sensations of driving her dogs on sled-runners. To her, the movement of the sled sliding on the icy terrain feels like the sensation of a violin bow sliding as she plays. She is a touchy-feely character.

In my ya novella, a retelling of The Snow Queen, I had a lot of fun depicting Irish life at a public house. I focused a great deal on “voice” and “sound” in this setting to give an impression of a tiny corner in a typical Irish street, brimming with life. So there was a character who made his entrance, clacking his shoes, and colloquialisms you would only find in an authentic Irish setting. Attention to detail, adding “local color” is important so I showed characters gambling and following the horse races from the bar.

For characters to be convincing, there should be a congruence between them and your chosen settings. Unless of course, you are writing something like a thriller or crime novel. In this case, incongruence - the character tries to pass-off as “belonging” in a setting, but really he/she doesn’t - could add an intriguing dimension to your story. In actuality, a police officer once told me that incongruence or a kind of mismatch; finding someone in a particular place who doesn’t seem to belong there draws police attention immediately.

My watchword for setting is “atmosphere.” Even an empty room has a kind of atmosphere. In a ghost story, an empty room or abandoned house, void of any living beings, could be made into a character in itself.

As you write, my advice is “think cinema” and you won’t go wrong! Show off your settings from different angles and viewpoints - close ups, middle-ranges and long shots. I find it useful to drop in a color to make settings more startling. Everything I put in my setting, even objects, carries meaning.

Review #1: Review by Bernadette Longu
Reviewed by:

Bernadette Longu

Review Rating:

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Reviewed by Bernadette Longu for Readers’ Favorite

Poop the Dragon by Suzy Davies is a delightful tale about a Ginormous Purple Dragon who had a problem because he was so Ginormous, even his bottom. Poop takes young readers on a journey of discovery as well as misadventure, especially when Poop has to do magic when his body says so. But instead of everyone fighting with Poop the Dragon, they decide to help him with his problem so that the world smells nice again. The author has written a short but beautiful story aiming to teach little ones how to practice good hygiene. I found it most inspiring and an interesting read, which delighted the children and had them taking part with much laughter and shouting at Poop as to what he could and could not do. It was fun and will be remembered for a long time, especially the word 'Ginormous' and the fact that Poop was a Purple Dragon. Ginormous was the best word of the day. I think they will be trying to use that word in sentences for a long time to come.

Poop the Dragon is illustrated by Lizy J. Campbell. The drawings are really well done. The children loved the pictures with no words and made up their own story for those pages. The children enjoyed trying to copy the drawings and did some lovely drawings of what they thought Poop should and should not do. It was a most enjoyable adventure on a rainy day, keeping 8-year-olds entertained. The book is interactive and helped keep little ones busy with much laughter, shouting, and drawing their own pictures of Poop. I found the drawings told the story just by themselves, but together with the words, it was exceptional. Thank you for this great book for children. I enjoyed the journey that Poop took and how we can help each other without getting cross or upset.

Remember the first time you fell in love? You lost yourself in the process of understanding another; of enduring challenges together, of growing together; of seeing the world through another's eyes. The very sight of that special person orchestrated a symphony in your imagination. You lost yourself in the discovery of another, and yet, here's the paradox - you found yourself also, rising from the ashes of the past like a phoenix of fire and creativity.
Think about love as a creative process, and you uncover the true nature of what creativity involves. It involves going beyond the self; pushing boundaries into new worlds of discovery; it is nothing less than soul alchemy when you write, make music or create Art.
Embarking on any creative journey, whether it be in books, music or art is like a baptism of fire, of divine energy that powers self-expression. The notion of "the sublime" captures the idea that creativity provides a wellspring of deep human experience, of transcendence beyond the every day.
A new creative journey is life enhancing and invigorating; and this applies to recapturing creative passions that are dormant or may have been lost in the mundanity of existence.
As I embark on recapturing the joy of making music, it reaffirms to me the life affirming quality of The Arts for bringing people together, elevating them beyond the commonplace. The paradox is that by losing ourselves in Art, much like falling in love with another, we also discover new things about ourselves and the world around us.

What is your book about?
Brother and sister, Billy and Stella compete in the Junior Race with their dog-sledding teams. All kinds of dangers await them, not least the wolves. Their step-brother, Tom, a solitary Inuk, has angered the pack. Queen Wolf is missing. The wolves will make good their loss or seek their revenge.

At the heart of the story, Stella, a rookie musher, is on the threshold of womanhood. “The Girl in the Red Cape” is running with wolves, dancing across the virgin snow. All alone, it’s Stella against the wilderness. But sometimes an invisible power supports her. And she has her loving Gran, always by her side, and friends who encourage her.

Stella, now grown, will catch a dream…

My book is a heartwarming action adventure fairytale, that speaks of the power of family, friendship, loyalty and courage, qualities we all need to succeed in life and flourish.

What is your inspiration for the story?
My inspiration for this book comes from my reading and my childhood. I have always loved fairytales, and my favorites are those classic reads written by Charles Perrault and by Hans Christian Andersen. I wanted to write the kind of story that would appeal to children and young adults, 9 to 12 years old, and the young at heart. I decided an animal fairytale would be best. I also wanted a tale with a magical theme and one that had all the enchantment and wonder of a snowy Winter Wonderland.

My idea was to create a modern retelling of Charles Perrault’s, “Little Red Riding Hood,” complete with an endearing shape-shifting Grannie-Can-Do, and a lone wolf at the centre of the tale. Children are far more sophisticated than they were at the time the original tale was written. So, I made the mystery of the wolf more intriguing, and gave more dimension to the central character, “Little Red Riding Hood.” I decided to make this Stella a young, shy teen, about to come of age, gain in confidence, and reach for her dreams. I gave her a loving, supportive family with a helpful brother, Billy, who was close. Their relationship was inspired by siblings I know who stand by each other through thick and thin. Stella and Billy have an almost telepathic empathy between them, and the relationship is real with all the teasing and rivalry that accompanies a deep intimacy and love.

I wrote in a love interest sub-plot, which brings out the protective qualities a good brother has for his sister. This romantic aspect of my book is clean, and suitable for young people, 9 to 12, to read.

My lead characters, Stella and Billy, are three-dimensional and they do have to overcome uncertainties, obstacles and challenges in order to self-actualise. But the whole feel of this action adventure fairytale is energised and positive, with a fast pace, so they are not weighed down by their difficulties, they rise to meet the opportunities in them! I think I drew on my own life, and the challenges I faced as a young woman as inspiration here.

I wished to make a character of the setting for my story; I have always thought that people are part of their environment and that where they live influences, though does not determine, their characters. A challenging wilderness – Alaska – seemed the perfect place to bring out Stella and Billy’s characters, and to make them each, in their own way, heroes in the story. The Wales of my early childhood days influenced my writing – just like Alaska it was wild and untamed, and a fairytale setting, full of enchantment and wonder.

I agree with the great E.B.White who famously said:

“Always be on the lookout for wonder”

For me, snow always takes me back to my imaginings as a child, and to the wonder in nature. It’s with that kind of imagination that I write.

From an early age, I was an outdoorsy kind of girl. I even went horse-riding in the snow. Dog racing is a similar sport. It was easy for me to imagine the up and down motion of the sleds racing through the snow-covered terrain. When you are riding or mushing you can go to places that people can only dream of, and your view of the world is different, depending on whether you are moving at a trot or a gallop, slow or fast, going through woods or climbing up to high terrain.

Back at the converted Welsh mansion, where I grew up in an extended family, we lived with my Gran in the top floor flat, we always had snow in winter. The flat was high, high up, with huge windows, and I had a bird’s eye view of the snow for miles around. I remember being fascinated by snow-filled skies, the gleaming quality of frost on the trees and bushes in the garden, and the powder of a light dusting on the rooftops of the terraces all around. On car rides, the mountains were awe-inspiring with snow on the peaks, the fields were seas of snow, and the waterfalls, magical crystal ice-tunnels. One year, we visited my cousins in Slough. Snow had formed a high wall over the cars, so we were snowed in. It was not difficult for me to imagine Alaska in the snow, and all the kinds of snow the mushers encountered.

Later in life, when I was studying Social Psychology at university, I discovered that The Inuit have an impressive variety of words for different kinds of snow because their survival depends on it. In my tale, the Mushers’ journey involves negotiating unpredictable weather and conditions; a metaphor for the journeys of our lives, where we adapt in order to thrive.

Hans Christian Andersen’s wonderful fairytale descriptions of snow in “The Snow Queen” inspired me to make the scenes, sometimes with powder-like “dust from the cosmos,” and sometimes with high walls of snow, or vast ocean-lakes of snow, sound beautiful. I have always loved travel, and I wrote the story not only with the reader’s eyes at ground level, but also introduced aerial views of the landscape to give the journey dream-like interludes and a panoramic effect. I have always loved traveling by plane, including light aircraft, and this experience came in useful in helping me make the story.

The illustrations, by Michele Bourke, bring out the magical elements of Alaska’s scenery and its wildlife in a wonderful way.

This interview was first published by Readers Magnet.

This blog is about how to write a funny kids' picture book. We all know there are different kinds of funny, but the most important thing is to write what makes kids laugh. So, here's my take, drawing on my newest write, "Poop The Dragon."

Funny language.

Kids like words that are unusual, because of the novelty value. So Ginormous may be more fun than large, for example. Ginormous is a kind of exaggeration, which also makes it funny. Onomatopoeia is funny to kids, who love it when words sound like what they are. So I used Poof! for the farty dragon in our book. What people say about characters can be funny. "What a dragon!" is over the top, and humorous, because later on little readers find out why folks say this about Poop.

Exaggerate.

Remember when you were a kid everything seemed bigger and better than now, and most probably being an adult is the start of a discovery that things that used to impress no longer do. Well, kids love writing that exaggerates so that what you write is only just believable with a huge stretch of the imagination.

Deep inside, kids have an idea of the over-the-top-ness of it all, and this is what makes them laugh. When I wrote "Poop The Dragon," I drew inspiration from "The Simpson's" house for the Dragon's Cave at the end of my book. Bart Simpson's home is decorated in dazzling technicolor so that creates a very lasting impression in kids' imaginations. Poop's cave is luxurious, and very colorful, in an over the top kind of way, and this juxtaposes with something stinky, surprising, yet very real indeed, that kids won't find out till the end of the story.

Naughty Humor.

Taboo subjects, especially to do with slapstick, bodily function humor is irresistible to kids. It's great to break taboos with laughter, since there are situations in life where, when they are grown, kids will have to cope with sharing personal information with health practitioners, for example. A child who loses inhibitions will be an adult who can be open to talking about "private bodily functions" when necessary.

Goofy is Funny.

Write a goofy character, or show a character that is relatable to kids making everyone else, (especially adults,) look goofy and this will be fun for kids. It's reassuring for kids to see that adults have flaws, and make mistakes. In fact, in my book, I show adults and their kids driving and running away from Poop The Dragon's stinky surprises, and being exasperated by what Poop does and the absolute chaos he creates. In a sense, all power to our dragon!

Unexpected Twists and Turns.

The key in any joke is to let it build and build, leading the listener on, maybe with a few turns and twists, to keep the listener's attention, and then the BIG twist at the end that takes the listener by surprise. I think our book IS a kind of joke. In fact, when I pitched the book to my publisher I said, "I bet you dare not publish this book!"

A Sense of the Absurd.

If you create a character whose behavior is funny, but he/she has no real sense of it, at least at first, this is funny. Characters that are idiosyncratic and naughty are memorable and funny because they stand out in kids' minds, and the naughtiness makes kids love them, most probably because even the most angelic of kids is naughty sometimes and they identify with them.

Funny Cartoon Art.

Characters with funny facial expressions that show exaggerated emotions make kids laugh, so the whole story comes alive as kids read.

What gave you the idea to become an author?

I’ve always loved to write. I’ve kept books I wrote as a kid that I’ve been thinking about editing
and turning into published books, which I’ll expound on more in a later question. When
lock down took place in 2020, I really saturated myself in writing since there was so much free
time at hand. After I penned out “Wonder of Light” and read it to some of my friends and family,
whom loved it, I started considering publishing. I researched how to self-publish, which led me
to Fiver, where I decided to hire a gig for formatting, cover creation, and the launching of my
first published work. The gig even did some promo for me the first few days in. I continued the
same gig for my all my other published works but learned how to launch them through KDP on
my own. So, they’ve only handled the formatting and covers on my last three books.

Whose books have influenced your writing?

I can’t credit any specific Authors to have influenced my writing, but the romantic suspense
genre has inspired me, as I used to binge read many of those type of books. The Holy Bible has
evidently had an impact since I do write in the Christian genre and correlate many of my beliefs
to the New Testament books. Believe it or not, I haven’t read a significant number of Christian
books. Prior to becoming an Author, I hadn’t honestly read Christian books because of their bad
rep. for being “cheesy,” “overly preachy” and/or “sugar-coated.” I know that isn’t always the
case, as I have read some really fantastic Christian books, but being able to find the time to read
while working full-time, being an Author and attempting to run a handcrafted candle business
while also “home-lifing”, is slim.

You write Christian Romance. What would you say are the main differences between
mainstream Romance Novels and novels which are Christian Romance?

The main difference between mainstream (or “secular” as we Christians call it) and Christian
romance are the faith contents, or lack thereof when it comes to secular stories. Christian
romance novels are deemed as such for offering a faith message, like redemption or salvation
through Jesus Christ along with the love story. The love tends to remain clean, since biblically
speaking, intimacy should wait until the couple unites in holy matrimony. With Christian
romance you almost always get a happy ending because living a life of faith in Jesus Christ
promises for an endless happy ending; one of peace and love that is free of sin and pain.
Mainstream romance can be clean or dirty and can have a happy or sad ending, but the faith and
moral aspects are typically absent or questionable.

Where are your books set? What time period are they set in?

My books are all set in the 21 st century. “Wonder of Light” and its sequel, “From Dark to Light”
are set in a fictional (small) military town in Texas. The second book does have a scene located
in the UAE, as it is military-inspired. The final installment to that series, “Back to the Light,” is
set in both New York and Texas and involves the next generation. My mafia-inspired book starts
in Galveston, Texas, centers in Kansas, and concludes in Chicago, Illinois.

Who is your favorite character in a book penned by you?

My favorite character has got to be Catherine from "Back to the Light." She reminds me of myself in not giving up on the man that she loves even when what he's done seems unforgivable.

Do you have any special writing advice for Christian Romance authors?

Don’t be afraid to get a little gritty for those of us who have had a rough go in life, it’s nice to
resonate with imperfect characters and realistic struggles.

How long does it take you to complete a book?

When I was writing, “Wonder of Light,” I was sort of playing around with the storyline over an
extended period, but when I got inspired to publish it, I fine-tuned and completed the entire story
in less than a month. I honestly got so excited that I went a little too quick and didn’t edit it well.
It had many minor grammatical errors, but it was enough to cause me some backlash. I penned
the next book and published it two months later, and then my third book a month after that. My
last book was about eight months later because the holidays and catching COVID slowed me
down. I’ve been off and on working on the 5th book, but so many challenges have come up in my
personal life that I couldn’t find the time and paused writing for a significant while. Now I spend
a lot of my free time pushing my already published books and candles. On a brighter I have
started writing again. I’m working on a revamp and relaunch of “Wonder of Light.” Nothing
major, but I am refining the original work and expanding on some scenes.

What is your writing process?

I write whenever I can find the time, whether that be on my lunch break at work or at night or on
the weekends when not busy wearing my other many hats.

Writers wear many hats. Outside of writing, how do you spend your time?

I wear an array of caps at this point in my life. I juggle between working full time, momming
two young boys, caring for 7 pets (4 dogs, 2 cats and a pig), making candles, and promoting my
books and candles, along with promoting other Authors and small business owners in my
monthly newsletter.

What kinds of things, apart from writing and books, inspire your work?

Aside from books and writing, my faith plays a huge part in inspiring my work. The social media
communities I interact with have been phenomenal in boosting my inspiration. Feedback from
readers has inspired me to perfect and re-publish “Wonder of Light.”

Do you work in silence or do you like background music?

Background noise, whether music, loud kids, television, or whatever other chaos surrounds me,
does not impact my writing. Once I’m in the zone, everything else fades away.

Do you ever write on trains, planes or in public places, such as cafes?

I mostly write on a desktop computer. So, I can’t say that I have. Although, if an idea comes to
mind when I’m not at home, I make a note of it on my phone to pen later.

Describe your writing space. What is on your desk?

There’s nothing special about my writing space. Right now, it’s cluttered since we relocated our
office space in the house. The only thing on my desk of significance is the computer screen,
keyboard and mouse.

Who is the audience for your books?

Non-judgmental Christians or those curious about or returning to faith that love a good
redeeming romance, but not looking for an overly preachy read.

Have you ever done a book signing event? Where was it and how did it go?

I haven’t done one yet. Not to say that I wouldn’t, I simply haven’t planned or sought one out.
Although, I have sold my books at a candle event and signed copies per customer request.

We authors often have to engage in marketing. Do you enjoy publicizing your book, and do
you handle publicity yourself? Do you enjoy marketing?

I do handle my own marketing and publicity, but I use platforms such as Mailer Lite, for my
newsletter, and Bookfunnel, for group promos. X has been the best social media platform for
visibility. I’ve met a lot of wonderful fellow creatives who support me, and I, them. It’s my
marketing/promoting my books an enjoyable experience. I have also used Pubby for book
reviews, which worked out great when I had the time to read books in exchange for reviews.
However, I just don’t have the time to set aside for it anymore.

What books do you have in the works at the moment?

I’m currently working on the second installment of my mafia series, which I postponed for a
couple years. I’m also working on the rewrite of “Wonder of Light,” as previously mentioned.
I’m not making any major changes apart from a couple added scenes and grammatical edits.

What can we expect from you in the future?

I wrote a children’s book and a drama when I was a teenager that I’m hoping to rewrite and
publish at some point. If I can pull them together into a great story, I’ll definitely put them into
print.

Have you ever written books outside your usual genre?

I’ve partially written a memoir of sorts about my life/love story that I may not ever make public.
It’s a sordid tale, and I’m not sure if I want to make it public. I have also considered writing
some secular romance novels but haven’t started anything yet. Although, I do have some ideas.
So, we shall see. If I ever publish my children’s book, I may continue to write more.

What kind of books do you like reading, and why?

I do miss reading. If I had the time, I’d read both secular and Christian romantic suspense, as I
enjoy love stories with a little bit of action.

It is well-documented that laughter is good for health, but there's a bit more to it than that. Humor in kids' books, develops life skills for kids, and here's how.

According to the Kids Experts in Children's Minnesota, you will be delighted to hear of the following, and I quote among the many benefits of reading funny children's books are:

"A good sense of humor is a tool that kids can rely on throughout life to help them: see things from many perspectives other than the most obvious

be spontaneous

grasp unconventional ideas or ways of thinking
see beyond the surface of things

enjoy and participate in the playful aspects of life
not take themselves too seriously."

Of course, sharing jokes is a way that kids find things in common with their peers, and a good laugh shared is twice as fun!

The bodily functions humor in my newest picture book, "Poop The Dragon," aims to take away the embarrassment some children feel when talking about "Poo" and to help develop an openness about that and farting, for example. In actuality, kids of early school age love slapstick and bodily functions kind of humor. My publisher, Lizy J. Campbell, CEO of Elite Lizzard Publishing, has illustrated this book in a fun Disney kind of way. Poop The Dragon is larger than life, and will appeal to kids' imaginations and make them laugh out loud!

Research shows that humor helps "pull in" reluctant readers and grabs their attention. Laughter, of course, triggers the natural "pleasure chemicals" in the body, so adult parents and grandparents who read along with their kids, will find that humor is contagious, and they will reap the proven therapeutic benefits, too.

Part of social and emotional learning, sharing funny stories reduces stress and builds a child's community of friendship, where kids learn we are all learning and growing, and it's okay to make mistakes from time to time.

Let me take you back to London Town, in the old days. A sister and brother live in an upstairs tenement.They are poor and not yet worldly-wise. My book, “The Snow Queen” takes you to this London you may already know or have read about. But although the metropolis is very real, it is seen through a magic lens in the mind’s eye.

The city shivers with chiming voices on fragile winds that sigh. The presence of an ethereal beauty rides the wintry landscape. Children are in a playground on the swings. Back and for, back and for, they ride. Time stands still in an innocent world of cars and trains, traffic lights, steaming chips and ketchup, Christmas trees and oily rainbows on cracked concrete… and Mum at home awaiting them…

Yet as they grow, and the years pass slowly, someone else — a wizard — is watching. He has a plan. To conjure a spell to ensnare a boy, a teenager of good character, a hard-working boy, Adam. He will be The First Slave.

And so, through this dark conjuring, this malevolent wizardry, the world of reality and the world of magic collide. The dark force of the wizard’s magic will be known and felt. And the children of the world will be held captives forever…

Far, far away, over the ocean, all the enchantment and wonder of a glittering winter; a winter in The Snowlands, a place of mystical animals that tread the land and soar on the wind awaits. This is a mythological land of dreams.

A shoemaker is making a boot fit for a king. A princess awaits in her Danish castle with her horses who follow the star of Pegasus. A seamstress in Rovaniemi is sewing a gown of sparkling threads and jewel-drops, fit for a queen.

The Snow Queen resides in the frozen glass Ice Palace in Norway. She is waiting for her wizard. Together, they will be an evil power couple, and rule till the end of days.

A Snow Goose rides through the storm, carrying Sean to his one true love.

A brave dwarf has a plan…

Adam slumbers, a prisoner, alone in the fairy tower on the west wing of The Ice Palace. Beside his bed, a game of chess, the black king toppled over.

Aragog lies in wait in her glistening web …and always, there’s dark magic…
The wind whistles through the skeleton tree. In her crystal ball, the old gypsy caught a glimpse of what would befall her daughter. The three sisters cast their spells, harnessing good and the forces of nature.

There is yet a ray of hope. Truth be told in the prophecy of The Book of The Ancients.

In a fair world of good and evil, there’s a battle ahead. Justice is all in this moral universe. Darkness consumes itself. The Light shines forever. Shimmering rainbows dance through shadows in the snow. Celestial light glows from the heavens.

The world of “The Snow Queen” is a romantic world; a fairytale, of castles and queens, rivalry, jealousy, revenge, destiny and inheritance. It is a world of sacrifice and redemption.

My book is an epic love story. Bryony, a young warrior with dark gypsy eyes, is the heroine. Over the sea, as if in a dream, she rides, and back again, on an ocean of forgiveness, to a land, long forgotten, back in time…

The Idea for The Snow Queen

My book is a reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen’s original story.The seed of an idea to have a gypsy protagonist in my story came from my late dad’s cousin who was a television producer for Children’s BBC Wales. At a churchyard gate, in Llanberis, she informed me that on my late dad’s side of the family, we are descended from Roma people.

My Writing Process

I have written at length about my writing process on Goodreads. Basically, I combine plotter and pantser tactics. I have an outline of the story and a sense of an ending before I begin writing. However, I think you can overplan, so I revise and adjust my ending at intervals in line with the resolution of the story. The characters “tell me” which way to go. It’s a process of forward and back, and thorough editing before it all comes together. I think spontaneity is what makes writing full of life and exciting. From the seed of an idea, to outlining, writing and several edits, it takes me about 18 months to write a book this length. Part of this is because I enjoy tackling a variety of projects so I am never working on one project full time until I reach the editing stage.

A Meeting of Hearts, Hands and Minds

After writing my book, I wondered how best I might share it with people across the globe. It was just like a fairytale, a dream come true, when I discovered, quite by chance, the enchanting multi faceted world of air and paper created by the world-acclaimed paper cut artist, Bit Vejle, who is the founder of The Museum for Paper Art in Blokhus, Denmark. My fairytale journey did not end there. I revisited Musuem Odense, and found the courage to approach them with a view to featuring some of Hans Christian Andersen’s paper cuts in the paperback and hardback editions of my work. I was so fortunate that Niels Friis agreed, much to my delight! Now our book is a dream come true — something I have dreamed about all my life!

Book Blurb

The Robber Girl is back! Bryony has a special destiny, foretold in The Book of The Ancients.With her dark eyes on a handsome Roma boy, Sean, and a gypsy crown, she has a battle to win, cheating death. She must rescue Adam from the Snow Queen’s web of evil, defeating the wizard and his dark sorcery. If she fails, the evil couple will cast a maleficent shadow of doom across the world, enslaving all children until the end of time. In this tale of romance, magic, rivalry, inheritance and destiny, a heartwarming epic journey awaits.

There was once a young girl who adored the fairytales of Hans Christian Andersen. She poured over the stories, enchanted as she read. She never dreamed that one day, she would write a retelling of the great master’s story, “The Snow Queen,” a story to call her very own.

This girl grew up, and in young adulthood she took a trip to Denmark. She visited Jutland’s wondrous windswept beaches, Funen’s lush, mystical gardens, and visited The Little Mermaid. She was enchanted by Egeskov Castle, with its folktale of the wooden man.

But the highlight of her trip was to see where fairytales all began - in the charming Odense, with its bicycles and quaint cobbled streets and wonderful Museum. She was wonderstruck at the birthplace of the most celebrated writer of fairy tales, but still, she never knew that her secret dream would, one very special day, come true.

In later years, Suzy wrote her tale. She wanted to share it with the world. But she wished to make certain her book, with a fresh take on the original “Snow Queen” story, would honour and stay true to the spirit of the great original storyteller.

She decided to search for an illustration for the front cover, and her long search for a very special artist led her to Bit Vejle, the world’s most famous contemporary paper cut artist - and the very first person ever to hold Hans Christian Andersen’s scissors.

To Suzy’s delight, Bit agreed she would create an enchanting cover to grace the front of her new book.

As if that were not enough, Niels Friis from Museum Odense provided Suzy with original papercuts created by H. C Andersen to go into the book. Real magic!

In a meeting of hearts and minds, “The Snow Queen” written by Suzy Davies, with cover art by Bit Vejle, and papercut illustrations by Hans Christian Andersen, has been created in paperback, with a hardback version to follow! This retelling of "The Snow Queen" is for tweens and teens - young adults - and the young at heart to enjoy all over the world!

This story is, as Bit said, “a little fairy tail in itself.”

Sometimes, when I have read books written by peers, I have delved into their biography in order to gain insights into how they "made" their books. Very often, drawing on the life of an author, and what is meaningful to him/her, helps us understand the process of creativity, and what went into their characters, storylines and scenes. So, how did I create Snugs, and to what extent do I draw on my own life to create my characters, storylines and scenes? This article focuses on just one aspect of the question - what resources did I draw on to create my hero, Snugs?

Those of you who have followed me, and listened to my radio broadcasts, in The U.S and in The U.K, will be familiar with this story about a story. But for those of you who missed my author interviews, here is how The Snugs Series began.

Very often in life, opportunity reveals itself when we least expect it, and in unexpected ways. I had been thinking about writing a children's book, and drawing on the idyllic early childhood I had in Wales to make my kids' story.

One morning, I was taking a walk along Southbourne beach, in the Bournemouth area, in Dorset, England, a walk I had done a few times beforehand, when I noticed something I had never "seen" before.

I remember it was a mild day, the kind of day in which the sun, although cool, lights up everything, as if to greet the spring. And so it was, as I gazed across the ocean, towards The Isle of Wight, near The Needles, and perceived a remarkable optical illusion! It was so lifelike, a polar bear, etched into the chalky cliffs, and so proud! I stood there, almost in disbelief, and wondered why I had never noticed The Bear before.

In that instant, I was transported back decades, to my childhood, and found myself almost skipping along the coastal path, as I imagined writing the story "about" The Isle of Wight Bear.

But as it is when a child first arrives, we have to think of a name for him, before we can begin to help him "write" his story! What would be a suitable name for a majestic, magical bear, who gazed out over the ocean? I pondered, and wondered, and all my imaginings about him seemed to be on hold. The first thing was to think of a name for this Bear!

I began thinking of all kinds of names to do with snow. But any I could think of sounded more feminine than masculine, and The Bear, was a boy!

Then, I started thinking of the qualities of this particular bear that made him unique. And first and foremost, he was lovable, friendly and cuddly. Suddenly, I had it! My maternal grandmother was always known as "Snuggie," and I shortened this name, to make it suitable for a bear boy!

The next thing I did was to draw on people I know to create Snugs' character. It was important that Snugs was at one with Nature, was adaptable, and represented an affinity with his environment. I knew he had a magical quality, that meant wherever he was, he would inspire and encourage people to make a better world.

He also had an intuitive, mysterious side to his personality, and although he was sociable, he liked to have time alone, to commune with the wild. I soon realised that I was describing aspects of my paternal grandmother. The masculinity of Snugs, his love of good food, and his physical bravery, came from my husband, Craig.

At the start of the story, Snugs was a character I thought of as you would a friend you know fairly well. By the middle of the story, he was a close friend, and I was getting to know his strengths and weaknesses, his likes and dislikes, and his idiosyncrasies. I knew what it felt like to be in his company, and could predict how he would react, and behave. As I got deeper into the story, replica toys of Snugs started to appear in my house! They each had different facial expressions, and threw light on the different aspects of Snugs Bear.

The final stage in the creation of Snugs was a touch of method acting. I started to research about how bears move. I started to get "in" the character, and look at the world from his point of view.

I have a confession to make. As time goes on, I have become more and more attached to The Bear, and to me, Snugs is very real.