Northern Highlight - Carly Gledhill
NORTHERN HIGHLIGHT
CARLY GLEDHILL
Why did you become a writer & illustrator?
I’ve always enjoyed creating characters and bringing them to life, and read a lot of great kids books when I was young and impressionable. Books and children’s TV have always fascinated me, offering up portals into different, fantastical worlds. As a shy child, the stories and characters I read about were great company and I’ve not really changed!
After completing a degree in textile design, I began to combine illustration and textiles, making tactile books and 3D plush characters. The next natural step was to try and get the stories and characters down on paper, to create my own picture books.
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| Based on the story by L Frank Baum. Published by Penguin |
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| Based on the story by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Published by Penguin |
Tell us about where you live.
I live in Reddish, Stockport, 7 miles from Manchester city centre. I live in a typical Mancunian red-brick terraced house with a little garden. Reddish is a small town that was built around 2 imposing textile mills. Apparently tourists from Manchester used to come here to visit the country park and see some greenery! It’s also 2 miles from a McVitie's biscuit factory, so when the wind is blowing in this direction the air smells like freshly baked HobNobs. Yum.
Where do you write/illustrate?
I work in a small spare bedroom at the back of the house, though I spend most of the day staring out at the garden, to make sure it’s growing and doesn’t need watering.
What for you is the 'Spirit of the North’?
I’m from Yorkshire and used to joke about the characteristics of having ‘Yorkshire grit’, probably meaning a strength of character and bloody mindedness. There’s definitely a Northern sense of humour; dry and not taking yourself too seriously.
Has this spirit influenced your work?
My work always has a sense of fun, I mainly want to make people laugh so I guess it has!
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| Published by Hachette Children's Group |
Who for you are the great Northern writers?
I’m really enjoying reading contemporary fiction from Northern writers. Emma Jane Unsworth is a current favourite, she’s incredibly witty and writes about relationships, usually female friendships, with warmth and some hilarious quotable lines. I’m also a fan of a crime thriller, Joseph Knox is one of my favourites. ‘Manc Noir’ is how his work is described, it’s dark and gloomy and perfect reading for a grey day.
If you could be transported to anywhere in the North right now, where would it be?
I’ve recently been exploring parts of the Pennine Way with the dog. It’s bleak and beautiful, so transport me to somewhere along there, Marsden Moor if possible!
What would you like to see from children's publishing in the North?
More events, book launches, festivals etc. It’s quite a solitary career so it would be nice to get out more and socialise with others in the industry. Also to demystify publishing and open up opportunities for those who may have been put off by its London-centred nature.
What's your favourite children's book set in the North?
The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett. I recently illustrated a version of her A Little Princess and found out she was from Manchester and moved to the U.S. when her father died. The thought of a secret garden was so exciting as a child, probably now why I spend so much time staring at mine.
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