Northern Highlight - Trish Cooke

 

 Northern Highlight

Trish Cooke




Where are you based, and how would you sum up the place in three words? 

I am based in Yorkshire. Picturesque. Family. Home.

What is special to you about working with children's books, and what is your favourite thing about it?

It’s special when I read my story to a child and it connects. My favourite part of the process is reading the final draft after putting all the work in.

You're an actress and a scriptwriter as well as a writer - how has that impacted your writing career and how you tell stories?

From a very young age, I enjoyed creating characters and acting out stories. I loved finding out where the stories would go. Listening to what someone says and then carrying on the story with truth. This works for me as a performer and also as a writer creating characters and stories. It came naturally. Improvisation has always been something I have been good at, and I suppose this impacted me not only as a performer but also as a writer. I enjoy the spontaneity, the magic of following your spirit rather than your mind. I love listening to how people talk, the various rhythms of language, and this helps me when writing dialogue. I also sang in a couple of bands as a youngster and enjoyed writing songs, just making lyrics up as we went along when we were jamming. It’s always come natural to me so it is hard to separate the actress from the story maker. I’m just a creative, I guess.

Tell us about the most recent book you've worked on or come across in your job. 

My most recent book (which comes out on 4th April 2024) is The Magic Callaloo, illustrated by Sophie Bass and published by Walker Books. It’s roughly based on the Rapunzel story but I have flipped it on its head with the main protagonist being a young black girl with a big afro that grows out and up as opposed to the long blond hair that grows straight and flows down. Instead of being trapped in a tower, my Rapunzel, or Lou as I call her, is stolen and taken to a far-off land, and as in the original, she uses her hair to escape from captivity.

Published by Walker Books, April 2024

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

The Lake District. I love the landscape there but there is much of Great Britain I have yet to visit so it’s the Lake District for now.
 

What literary events have you attended or been involved with recently in the North/Scotland?

The Black British Book Festival. It was an amazing event held at the South Bank Centre.

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

More events in Bradford or Leeds so I can attend easier.


What advice would you give to aspiring publishing professionals living in the North and Scotland?

Don’t give up!



You can find Trish on:





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