Liz Kessler chat

Chutney sat down for a chat...with Liz Kessler

Today we have two guests on our blog! Our twelve year old guest reviewer, Chutney, loved Liz Kessler’s North of Nowhere, so we're delighted to bring both of them together on We Sat Down.

Chutney: What made you think of writing this book?

Liz Kessler: Quite a few years ago, I went on holiday to Scotland and visited a very small village that had been almost wiped out by a storm. The place stayed in my mind. Years later, I heard about another town, this time in Devon, where something similar had happened - only worse. This time, the whole town was destroyed. At this time, I was also thinking about writing a time travel book and the two ideas came together and led to North of Nowhere.

Chutney: Did you write it because you were inspired or can you just think of stories like that?

Liz Kessler: I was inspired by places and ideas. Usually with my books, something quite small will spark an idea. After that, it’s lots of work to turn it into a book!

Chutney: Is there a moral to the story?

Liz Kessler: I never intend to put morals or messages into my books. For me, what’s important is the story itself. However, I do often find that things which are important to me end up coming into my books. Perhaps that has happened with this one too - but I don’t usually realise it till someone tells me! If you think that there is a moral in there, that’s fine with me! :)

Chutney: Did you choose the cover for your book?

Liz Kessler: I was sent the cover and I thought it was beautiful - but it was all green. I asked if we could change the colour as it was a bit too green. So we tried all blue. That was a bit too…blue! So I suggested that we mix the two, with the blue above and green below - and that looked perfect! So I influenced the colours, but had nothing to do with the picture itself. The end result is one of my favourite covers on any of my books.

Chutney: Why are there trees on the cover of the book? There are no trees mentioned in the story.

Liz Kessler: Interesting question. I think that the trees are there to convey a sense of land close by. Using trees to do this, rather than houses, makes for a more dramatic-looking scene!

Chutney: And .....lastly, do you write books because you enjoy it or because you are good at it?

Liz Kessler: I do it because I love it! It’s my passion as well as my job. It’s for others to decide whether or not I’m any good at it! If you think I am good at it then I’m very grateful - thank you! :)

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You can read Chutney's thoughts about North of Nowhere here.