Northern Highlight - Gabrielle Kent

NORTHERN HIGHLIGHT

GABRIELLE KENT

1. Why did you become a children’s writer? 

As a child I spent whole weekends lost in the worlds of my favourite book. As an author, I love that I can create my own worlds to try and instill the same sense of joy and excitement in young readers. I want children to feel that magic exists and anything is possible.

 2. Tell us about where you live.

I live in Middlesbrough in the North East of England, gleefully referred to as the Worst Place to Live in the UK by Phil and Kirsty. As an industrial town, Middlesbrough can be an easy target for classist sneering, however, there are so many wonderful people with huge hearts doing amazing work here. I love that when people see others in need they step up and try to do something about it.

Middlesbrough is also smack bang in the middle of wonderful countryside, with North Yorkshire on one side, County Durham on the other, and wonderful beach towns all down the coast. There’s no end of inspiration from the stories, myths and legends brimming out of the North East, and I often incorporate them into my work.


3. Where do you write?

Anywhere I can grab a little quiet time! Usually on the sofa or the posh shed I had built in the garden. Places where I can’t get up and raid the fridge or find something to distract me are great! I love writing in libraries and trains - the East coast line up into Scotland is awe inspiring and perfect writing time. Sometimes I even drive to a park or beauty spot and get in an hour of intense writing in the car while my husband takes the wee one to the playground, then we all go for a walk as a reward. In these COVID days, that’s my only real chance to write when my daughter is awake, otherwise I have to wait until she is in bed. 

 

4. What for you is the ‘spirit of the North’? 

It has many spirits. I think the North East in particular has a fighting spirit. It has been a battleground in many wars, a landing spot for countless Viking invasions, and Northern creatives and businesses are used to fighting to prove that you don’t have to live in London to succeed. There’s also a generosity of spirit and a wonderful, dry sense of humour.

Pic taken by my two year old with photographer Rosie Hardy's camera

 5. Has this spirit influenced your work?

How could it not? I tend to write down to earth characters with a sense of humour who would fight their way to the ends of the earth to help a friend in need.


 6. Who for you are the great northern/Scottish children’s writers/illustrators?

I tend not to really notice where authors are from, but there’s the wonderful Shirley Hughes who I was surprised to realise was from the Wirral, where my husband’s family live, and of course David Almond. Though born in London I think Beatrix Potter has more than earned the title of honorary Northern author. There are also so many amazing authors and illustrators in the Children’s Books North collective who are certainly earning their own places in literary history.

 

7. If you could be transported to anywhere in the North/Scotland right now, where would it be?

The Loch Linnhe area of the West Highlands in Scotland. Specifically an eco pod overlooking Castle Stalker, of Monty Python fame, where I stayed with my husband when he was writing up his PhD and I was plotting out the third book in my Alfie Bloom series. The whole area was magical, with jaw dropping beauty around every corner.

 

8. What would you like to see from children's publishing in the North/Scotland?

I’d like to see a move from everything being so London-centric, with more events and awards taking place in the North, as well as publishers considering Northern arms, as HarperCollins have done.

 

9. What's your favourite children's book set in the North/Scotland? 

Currently, it’s A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll. It’s set in Edinburgh and follows 11-year-old Addie as she battles to get a memorial built for the victims of the witch trials, while dealing with possibly the nastiest teacher in kid’s literature… and that includes Miss Trunchbull.



You can find Gabrielle on Twitter & Instagram. 

Comments

  1. LynnHC22 March 2021 at 12:21

    That pod looks like the perfect writing place :) Great interview :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gabrielle Kent23 March 2021 at 14:23

      Thank you. It was such an amazing place and the views were stunning!

      Delete

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