It occurred to me that people might be interested in the process I use to write these childrens’ stories, which are very different to writing either stories or novels for adults. First, I’d like to introduce you to Henry!
In my head Henry’s a slightly scruffy small boy, maybe 8 or 9, living in a very ordinary house in a small town in England. His family – mother, father, older brother, and grandmother – is very important to him, as are his school friends. Henry’s not at the top of the class, but he’s not thick either; he bumbles along somewhere in the middle of things, trying his best, and generally getting on quite well with the world.
He might be one of these lads…
Credit: joebackward on Flickr, under a Creative Commons license
The person I’m writing for is someone who’s not a very confident reader, who’s not into the high drama of, say, the Northern Lights, and would never have the courage to pick up something as thick as a Harry Potter book. This person wants something close to home, something they can relate to, and something that’s not too long!
Alternatively, the books appeal to a wider audience as bedtime stories. At around the 3,000 word mark, they’re an appealing length, delivering a complete story in a reasonable time; or the reader can choose to stop at break points. Each story has at least a couple.
The first three Henry stories have been available for some time, either as a bundled paperback, or as individual electronic stories. The next three are due for imminent release, with three more planned early in 2015.
The stories are:
Book 1
Henry and the Necklace – In which Henry meets a surprisingly large elephant.
Henry and the Magic Teapot – Henry tries to give his Nan a present – but she is not happy with the results!
Henry and the Football Boots – Henry has to choose between being brilliant at football, or hurting his friend.
Book 2
Henry and the Viking – a trip to the museum has some interesting consequences.
Henry and the Dinosaur – Henry’s brother Mike creates a big problem!
Henry and the Bird Bath – Henry swears never to try karate again…
They are all on my Amazon page: UK and US
As a bonus, I’m recording Henry and the Football Boots, and will be giving that away during the next release.
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