Guest Northern Highlight  UCLAN Publishing Bookshop Can you tell us more about the new UCLAN Publishing Bookshop, and the reasons why you decided to set it up?  We set the bookshop up to showcase the Publishing House within the university. We want to make staff and students more aware of what the Publishing House to offer, and to highlight the many books our own students have worked on.  What does a typical work day look like at the bookshop and what is the most rewarding part of the job?  Well Charlotte and I both are based within the bookshop, we manage the shop and the publishing house at the same time so it's always busy. The most rewarding part of the job is recommending books and having happy customers leave the shop with a fantastic new read. We also had a visit from the UCLan Pre School a few weeks ago. Author Jake Hope, and illustrator Genevieve Aspinall came and hosted a special story time based on their book  Cheesed Off!  It was lovely. Do you have any recommendations

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