NORTHERN HIGHLIGHTS Rowena Aitken  Where do you live, and how would you sum up the place in three words? I live in the middle of Edinburgh and the three words I'd use to sum it up are "full of culture". What is special to you about creating children's books, and what is your favourite part of the process? I love adding in little silly details. Things you don't initially notice but you see something funny in the background such as the pair of y-fronts in the washing machine (with PAN:TS on the setting display!) in the kitchen scene in The Bum That Barked. The Bum That Barked by Elisa Peacock and Rowena Aitken - Tiny Tree Books, 2020 Tell us about your upcoming/most recent book My latest book is called  Princess Peanut, Be Polite  by Ren Cummins - a tale about a princess who's known as Peanut. She is very stuck in her ways when it comes to what she likes to eat; or is she?  Princess Peanut, Be Polite -  Publication date to be confirmed If you could be transporte...

GUEST  NORTHERN HIGHLIGHT S arah Bird, Co-Director of Just So Festival  Can you start by telling us a little bit more about Just So festival? Just So is a family festival with a love of stories and childhood escapades at its heart. It allows families to step out of their day to day lives and into a wonderland of world class literature, arts, theatre, dance, music and creativity together.  We took our name from Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories because the festival was originally on a site that overlooked Rudyard Lake near Leek. It’s where Kipling’s parents courted in the 19th Century, and they loved the lake so much that they named him after it. We’ve now moved to the Rode Hall Estate in Cheshire, but we kept the name Just So because telling stories is what the festival is all about.  What unique qualities does your location bring to the festival?  It’s really important to us that Just So takes families out into nature, to encourage them to play, create and danc...

  NORTHERN HIGHLIGHT Anne Fine  Where do you live, and how would you sum up the place in three words?  Barnard Castle.  Old fashioned, friendly, rural. What is special to you about creating children's books, and what is your favourite part of the process?  I think most of us know from our own childhoods that young readers are the most committed. They never lay a book aside, saying, "No time to read any more today." I have two favourite parts of the process. The first is when something odd shifts in your brain and you think, "Yes, I have a book here, and I think I know how to approach it." And the second is when you sit down to start. For me, that's like dropping under water in an indoor swimming pool. All the noise around you cuts out. It's just you and your work together. . Tell us about your most recent book. It's called  Aftershocks  and it's for my core audience, middle to older readers. I'm usually dead realistic, but this one's a bi...

    CHILDREN'S BOOKS NORTH 2022 MENTOR SCHEME  We are delighted to announce that the Children's Books North Mentor Scheme is returning for 2022. It is now two years since we launched Children's Books North, with a key aim of increasing regional diversity in the children’s book industry. The 2021 mentor scheme saw CBN co-founders - Emma, Liz and Tilda - support aspiring publishing professionals Emma Toft, Fatima Shazad and Sarah Nuttall as CBN's first cohort of mentees.   Emma Toft      Fatima Shazad   Sarah Nuttall ‘The CBN mentor scheme was an invaluable experience for me both professionally and personally. With the help of my mentor, Tilda, I was able to work on and improve my application and interview skills as well as improving my social media presence. She was also a great help in introducing me to different publishing professionals to learn more about specific areas of the industry.’ Emma Toft...