Thrilled to be sharing this Q&A with author Lucy Ann Unwin for Day 4 of The Octopus, Dadu and Me blog tour. This book was a very emotional read for me as Sashi’s close relationship with her Dadu, the slow decline of a beloved granparent, and the sharing of a different culture is something that is very close to the experience of my own young daughters. And I’m sure countless families will be able to relate to the realities of caring for a loved one with dementia. It just goes to show that children’s literature doesn’t have to shy away from difficult topics and it could mean a lot to a child to see their experience on a page, to see they are not alone. I think Lucy has done a brilliant job of tempering the emotional turmoil of Sashi’s family life with an offbeat, friend-fuelled mission that will keep the reader gripped: an octopus heist, no less!
Read on to find out more about the author herself and her oh-so-relatable bad habits!
- Tell us about you in 25 words or less.
I want to change the world but can’t decide where to start! And y’know… mum of two, ex-music journalist, lives on a clifftop.
- Can you tell us a little bit about how your novel –The Octopus, Dadu and Me – came to be?
I went through a phase of watching waaaaay too many 1980s kids movies and was inspired by Free Willy to try a heist-type story. But then COVID hit. Children everywhere were being separated from their grandparents and that resonated with the relationship I’d been forming between Sashi and Dadu— so my simple heist story started to morph into something very different!
- Ok, here’s a challenge… can you sum up your book in five words? [runs and hides!]
A heist with heartache?
- What does a typical day look like for you?
Every day starts with school runs x2, then my day job is doing the social media for my wonderful local children’s bookshop, The Book Nook in Hove — so, Twitter (not all for work of course). After lunch, I always think I’m going to write, but instead some weird time fold happens and it’s the school run again, then inevitable club-chauffeuring, making dinner etc etc. Again, I always — every single day — think i’ll do something productive and interesting after my daughters go to bed, but instead I crash out and watch TV! Not a word written! I imagine it’s a very typical day for a lot of parents of young kids. Occasionally, I’ll manage to break the routine with a sea swim with friends, or a lunchtime bike ride with my husband (he bribes me with chips.)
- What makes you happy?
Driving somewhere by myself with the sun shining and the music loud. Theme tunes to TV shows I love. Everything about live music. Starting a new book. Catching up with old friends. Getting the giggles. My daughters getting the giggles. Generally listening to my amazing daughters say random stuff. Walking through cities with my husband at night. Chips.
- What’s on your TBR pile at the moment?
So many amazing books! I’m about to start Babel by R.F. Kuang which sounds absolutely amazing. There is a lot of kids and young adult fiction due in 2023 that i’m lucky enough to have review copies of, too. I can’t wait to get started on: The Storm Swimmer by Clare Weze, This Book Kills by Ravena Guron, The Detention Detectives by Lis Jardine, Someone Is Watching You by Tess James-Mackey, Libby and the Highland Heist by Jo Clarke, Wider Than The Sea by Serena Molloy… LOADS! There is never enough time in the day!!!!
- What’s your worst habit?
Constantly checking my phone. Doing that horrible circuit where you check the notifications on 20 different social media sites and when you’ve been through them all your brain just takes you right back to the beginning again. Argh! I hate it and can’t stop! Any help/suggestions appreciated…
- Your favourite word(s) and why –
Cumpleaños! (birthday in Spanish) I had forgotten how much joy this word brings me until my oldest daughter started learning Spanish. Now I quiz her whenever I can, just so I can keep saying it again and again!
- What are your top tips for budding writers?
Don’t get stuck on one perfect manuscript — either over-editing it, or spending years querying it. It might just not be the right time, through no fault of your own. A writing career is about book after book, year after year. Just start writing the next one. Also, you can write, you know you can, stop doubting it.
- Is there anything that’s surprised you about the publishing process?
How much of a toll on my mental health the actual publication bit is taking. In the years leading up to this I think I did okay in bracing myself for — and pushing through — all the rejection. I had thought that would be the hardest bit, but now I find managing the unpredictable highs and lows of this current stage a bit of a shocker! It’s hard to stay on an even keel.
- Can you give us a glimpse / hint at your current WIP? (I can bribe you with cake!)
I’ll do pretty much anything for cake, and also can talk about writing all day, so this is a win win! My current WIPs working title is: How To Be A Revolutionary. There are lots of rats, surprisingly, a very cute little sister and it’s about a girl determined to be a campaigner to impress her dad. Her plans end in chaos, of course, mainly because of all the rats. It’s not under contract, so may well never see the light of day!
- Did we forget anything?
Well, now you ask, let me tell you all about….
Just for fun
Tea or coffee?
Tea and lots of it please.
Paper books or e-books?
Both!
Cake or chocolate?
Cake, always cake.
Write or type?
Type. There is no point me actually writing anything as my handwriting is illegible even to myself.
Poetry or prose?
Prose. Although I was surprised how accessible I found a prose poem recently (Black Flamingo!)
Hot or cold?
I get angry when I’m too hot and grumpy when I’m too cold. Can’t win.
Make sure you catch up with the rest of the blog tour! Details below:
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