A Q & A With Author Christine Aziz!

 Below is a Q&A with author Christine Aziz on her new novel, The Kingdom of Broken Magic!

The setting of the kingdom is fantastic and wonderfully atmospheric. What inspired your choice?

 I never considered that the kingdom to  be a jungle, or a labyrinth of some kind, or vast open land.  It had to be dark and mysterious combined with the kitsch displays  of wealth  to represent the dual aspects of the kingdom's ruler – a dark but  bling-loving  character . It also had to match the circus where the impossible becomes possible and it had to have enough nooks and crannies and tunnels for the two main characters, Maggie and Josh,  to hide in. I wanted to make it a spookily unpleasant, otherwise no one would want to leave!

You have written a novel for adults, several plays and now a chidren's debut – is it very different writing for children?

There's not a huge difference. Writing for children is not a dumbed down version of writing for adults. It requires the same  depth of character, sophistication and skills in creating story. The main  difference for me was that I was much more aware of my reader and   more eager to please. I wanted children to go on a journey with me that would excite, be scary, inspire and enjoy. I wanted to recreate those experiences I had as a child when absorbed in reading a good book. I don't feel that same desire to please when writing for adults.  Writing for children is less  constraining: children have wonderful imaginations and don't query the incredible and miraculous which gives you the freedom  to go to marvellous, magical  places with them.  Children's books tend to be shorter, which is good for me as I tend to go on and on writing till my arms drop off!  

The Kingdom of Broken Magic has got some awesome villains and a good children’s book needs villains.  Please could you describe the key villains in The Kingdom of Broken Magic in a few sentences.

I had great fun writing the villains.  Miss Scribbens  runs the Scribbens’ Home for Very Wayward Children, and is vain, greedy and spiteful with a nasty habit of using a knife-like fingernail as a weapon.  The  sole purpose of the children in the Home,  is add to her stash of stolen  valuables. The Kingdom's ruler  (I won’t say who they are as it will be a spoiler) is wily, wicked  and cruel, with an entourage of deadly guards to do the dirty work.  

The Kingdom of Broken Magic has a fantastic cast of characters— who is your favourite?

I have a soft spot for the Iron Dragon. He was a bit of a surprise as I was not  expecting him at all. He just popped up. I felt very sad when he sailed off into the cosmos.  

Are you working on another children's novel?

Yes I am. It's less fantasy, more contemporary but with enough magic to defy reality! It's based on a story I started writing for my children when they were small. I found it tucked away in an old file.

   

Children love stories and they read more fiction than adults. Have you got any advice for young writers?

 Just write and don't stop. Get into the habit of writing. Don't be a harsh judge of yourself. You will usually be wrong. Read, read, read. `Observe everything around you. Trust your imagination.

Which are your favourite illustrations?

That's a hard question! The illustrator Ewa Beniak Haremska has produced some stunning work. I love them all, but if I HAD to chose, I would go for Maggie with the cat on her head, McTavish the elephant  with his knitting needles behind his ears cuddling a clown, Mr Banerji and his curly moustache, Mrs Gumbo with the gap in her teeth and   Carry-on Crow flying alongside a carriage.