 15.
The central relationship in your latest chapter book, Dolphin
Boy, is between a sister, Amy, and her autistic brother, Dibs,
who can communicate only with noises, not words. What made you
decide to write a book 
about autism? |
|
The original idea came from a newspaper cutting on 'dolphin
therapy' given to me by my editor at Egmont, Cally Poplak. Then,
by chance, I found a very moving book in a second hand bookshop
about an autistic child who wouldn't speak. Soon after that I
was in the swing park with my daughter and there was a child who
seemed to communicate in sounds - a barking dog when someone annoyed
him, a speeding car when he spun delightedly on the roundabout,
a police siren when he didn't want to go home! Whatever that child's
problems, he had found himself an incredibly powerful form of
communication. I rushed off and researched dolphins - and found
a lot of fascinating stuff - and the story wove together almost
effortlessly. It was amazing how all the various elements seemed
to just fall in my hands - but as I've said you seem be magically
receptive to find what you need. Also, witnessing my own child
discover language was so special I found it moving to write about
a child like Dibs. |
| 16.
Can you tell ACHUKA anything about your next teenage novel, Exodus? |
| I
found myself in the middle of writing about a futuristic exodus
(from lands flooded due to global warming) at the very point the
Kosovan exodus happened. Chance shoved the material right in my
face this time. At first I felt as if I was exploiting that very
real horror, but some portion of humanity has always been in exodus
for one reason or another. Dam-building in India is causing the
exodus of millions. In the end I felt impelled to write it as
the story feels so strong - and there's no better reason for writing
a book. It's probably bad luck to say too much about a book in
progress and no doubt it will all change as it gets written. But
I can tell you that there is a strong, complex female character,
a backbone of ancient legend alongside cyberpunk adventure, and
a young poet-savage called Gorbals (as in that once-infamous part
of Glasgow)...... |
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is rewarding the first 100 readers of this page with beenz... |
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