Northern Highlights Diana Anyakwo Where are you based, and how would you sum up the place in three words?  I am based in Manchester close to the city centre. There is lots of exciting redevelopment near where I live at New Islington Wharf and in Ancoats. I would describe it as vibrant, creative and friendly. What is special to you about creating children's books, and what is your favourite thing about it? Reading was and still is my number one passion. As a child and teenager books were such an amazing escape for me, they transported me to another world and made me feel connected to others in a way I sometimes didn’t feel in the real world. I love how great books can make you see the world in a different way. I   hope to give the same experience to young people who read my work, that sense of connection, that complete immersion in another world. Tell us about the most recent book you've worked on. My debut novel My Life As A Chameleon is coming out 4 May, 2023 from A

Northern Highlight Meg McLaren Where are you based, and how would you sum up the place in three words?   I ’ m based in Inverness and I ’ d describe it as vast, airy and awe-inspiring.   We hosted you on the blog a couple of years ago for an interview. What do you feel has changed in the past few years and what are you most proud of?   Well, CBN is now 3 years old so I think there ’ s more awareness of Northern creators, and we ’ re more aware of each other too. I ’ ve also worked with Hachette recently and they now have offices in Edinburgh, Manchester and a few other places, so it ’ s nice to see some big publishers branching out from London.  For me personally, I ’ m better at resting now. I used to be very impatient at waiting for notes and feedback, for things to happen - publishing can be frustratingly slow at times - but I ’ ve learned to lean into that. What is special to you about illustrating children's books, and what is your favourite thing about it? I love

 Guest Northern Highlight  Will Carr Senior Partnership Magager for the North of England,  BookTrust  Can you tell us about BookTrust?   Reading and sharing stories changes people’s lives. BookTrust is the largest reading charity in the UK: we provide books, resources and support to get every child reading regularly and by choice. BookTrust reaches millions of children every year through book-gifting programmes and our work in libraries and schools. We support families to share stories from the earliest possible moment and children to develop lifelong reading habits. To do this we work with all kinds of different partners, such as publishers, children’s centres, libraries and health professionals. From running the national Children's Laureate programme to giving out books to families and schools, delivering exciting reading campaigns or celebrating the very best children's books with our prizes, everything we do aims to inspire children of all ages to get reading.   How

Northern Highlight  Sheryl Webster  Where are you based, and how would you sum up the place in three words?  I am based in Liverpool, not far from the River Mersey, and a stone’s throw away from the childhood home of Paul McCartney.   Choosing only three words to sum up Liverpool is a challenge, but I will go for…creative, vibrant and friendly. What is special to you about writing children's books, and what is your favourite thing about it? The most special thing to me about writing children’s books is being able to create characters that will empower and inspire children, characters that will have a positive impact on their lives, and on how they react to the world around them. For example, the main character in my new picture book,  Kindness Rocks,  is a role model whose actions show the impact of acts of kindness, not just on making others happy – but also the effect that doing nice things for others has on our own happiness. My favourite thing about writing for children is…the

Northern Highlight Burhana Islam  Where do you live, and how would you sum up the place in three words?  I live on the outskirts of Manchester in a sleepy town by the name of Ashton-under-Lyne. We’re settled nicely between the valleys of the Peak District and the hustle and bustle of the city centre. I’d sum it up as quiet, slow-paced and wet. It’s always raining here.   What is special to you about creating children’s books, and what is your favourite part of the process? There’s something really special about writing something that could mean the world to someone else. I’ve always known that words are incredibly powerful, especially to children. It’s surreal when you find a reader who truly and sincerely connects with the story you’ve told. That’s my favourite part: the moment when someone tells me that my words reminded them of home - that I’ve taken a photograph of their life and shared it with the world. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that. Tell us about your upcoming/most

  Northern Highlight Loretta Schauer Where do you live, and how would you sum up the place in three words?   I'm a bit of an interloper up here, as I grew up in East Anglia and lived in London my entire  adult life. We moved to beautiful York about a year ago and I absolutely love it. I finally get to  have a garden, and I’ve made lots of lovely new friends. I think so far my three words would  be - outdoors, neighbours and history. What is special to you about creating children’s books, and what is your favourite part  of the process?  I always used to say that creating the characters was the best bit of the illustration process,  but having just written my first book, I have to say I really enjoyed the writing process too. It  felt like a very immediate and energising way to get ideas down on the page, and then it felt  easier to keep refining and shaping and blasting new ideas as I went along. On reflection, I  think I spend a lot of time trying to get artwork looking right and