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Revision as of 17:03, 4 February 2014
, 17:03, 4 February 2014Created page with "{{infoboxinterviews |title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Jane Elson |reviewer=Robert James |summary=Jill and Robert both loved A Room Full of Chocolate by Jane Elson|A Roo..."
{{infoboxinterviews
|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Jane Elson
|reviewer=Robert James
|summary=Jill and Robert both loved [[A Room Full of Chocolate by Jane Elson|A Room Full of Chocolate]]. Jill got to do the review, but Robert was at the front of the queue with the questions when Jane popped in to see us.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444916750</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>B00GO99IYK</amazonus>
|date=#6 February 2014
}}
Jill and Robert both loved [[A Room Full of Chocolate by Jane Elson|A Room Full of Chocolate]]. Jill got to do the review, but Robert was at the front of the queue with the questions when Jane popped in to see us.
* '''Bookbag: When you close your eyes and imagine your readers, who do you see?'''
Jane Elson: A child who loves animals, probably has a special secret den that they read in: probably a bit of a daydreamer.
* '''BB: One of my favourite things about A Room Full Of Chocolate was the lovely friendship between Megan and Grace. Who are your favourite fictional friends?'''
JE: Peter Pan and Wendy immediately came to mind. That story is so haunting. I am thinking of books that had an effect on me as I was growing up. I remember a book called ''Nobody’s House'' by Martin Hall where there was a very touching friendship between the Victorian workhouse ghost and the children that lived there. I am a sucker for any book with horses! My all time favourites were the ''Flambards'' books by K M Peyton. I love the complicated friendships between Christina, Mark, William and Dick.
My favourite friendship between an animal and a child is Mary O’Hara’s ''My Friend Flicka''. The relationship between Ken and his horse Flicka is so special.
* '''BB: Also, I love books with travelling in them, so I really enjoyed reading about Megan and Grace's journey. What's the best journey you've ever been on?'''
JE: Driving with friends in a car through San Francisco. I absolutely love that city! Also exploring the south of France by car with a friend. A truly stunning part of the world. I also think any journey where you are travelling towards someone you love is special.
* '''BB: Your bio mentions that in addition to writing, you run creative writing and comedy improvisation workshops for children with special educational needs. What's the best thing about doing these?'''
JE: For me there is nothing greater in life than seeing a child’s communication skills and confidence improve. I love it when other teachers tell me that because of the drama workshops they have seen a difference in that child in other areas of their life. We have so much humour and laughter in the workshops as well. When I am teaching dyslexic children and they see how dyslexic I am, I find they relax and we have a lot of banter in the sessions which helps produce good work.
* '''BB: Prior to writing, you performed as an actress and a comedy improviser - what's the role you had the most fun playing?'''
JE: I love this question and it would make my friends laugh as they joke that for an actor whose roots are in comedy my latest roles have been so serious! But I hasten to add that these roles are extremely important.
I did a play about knife crime among youths and my most recent role was a verbatim piece about child abuse. We had a lot of laughter in breaks in rehearsals as a release from the subject matter. Laughter is so important it can really help you cope. Way way back I remember having a lot of fun playing Jackie in Noel Coward’s ''Hay Fever''.
* '''BB: Also, you write plays as well as novels - do you approach the two in similar mindsets, or is there anything different in the way you prepare to write a play compared to a book?'''
JE: I approached writing a book very differently at first, very cautiously, but then as I progressed with my course at City Lit I realized that writing dialogue for plays stood me in really good stead for writing believable conversations in books and really they are not so different. I approach both as I do when playing a role as an actor getting right inside the character.
* '''BB: Your bio also mentions you ate a lot of chocolate in the name of research - very sensible! (And if there's a sequel and you need help preparing for it, just drop me an e-mail!) What's your very favourite chocolate bar?'''
JE: Oh there’s a question! I vary but I must admit I ate an awful lot of Galaxy.
* '''BB: On a similar note, if you could give a lifetime's supply of three particular chocolate bars to three fellow authors (one each), which bars would you pick, who would you give them to, and why?'''
JE: I would give the new Cadbury’s bar Marvellous Creations to [[:Category:David Almond|David Almond]] – it has fizzy beans that explode in your mouth and surprises you like his stunning writing. You never know where it will take you. Reading [[Skellig by David Almond|Skellig]] was a wondrous adventure.
I would give Bourneville chocolate to [[:Category:Judith Kerr|Judith Kerr]]. ''When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit'' is a really special book to me and gave me the confidence to write ''A Room Full of Chocolate'' which touches on my own childhood. Bourneville was a chocolate that would have been eaten in the 1940s and must have been a truly special thing to have at that time. A rare treat like Judith Kerr’s writing.
My third lifetime supply of chocolate would go to author [[:Category:Lou Kuenzler|Lou Kuenzler]]. I would give her a life time supply of Revels. She was my tutor at City Lit and taught me so many different things. She has this amazing fun energy and each session would hold a surprise for me like Revels with all their different centres. Also they are mini chocolates which is the perfect sweets for Lou who is the author of the delightful [[Shrinking Violet by Lou Kuenzler|Shrinking Violet]] series.
* '''BB: What are you reading at the moment?'''
JE: I always have several books on the go at once. I am coming to the end of [[The Book Thief by Markus Zusak|The Book Thief]] and loving it. I have just started Anne-Marie Conway’s [[Butterfly Summer by Anne-Marie Conway|Butterfly Summer]] and am finding it very intriguing. I am just about to start [[Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher[[. Really looking forward to it. Her book [[My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher|My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece]] was a masterpiece.
* '''BB: What's next for Jane Elson?'''
JE: I have a two-book deal with Hodder so I will be busy working on Jump my second book with my lovely editor Naomi Greenwood. I also have some festival appearances which I am really looking forward to. A Room Full of Chocolate is my debut novel so this is all new and exciting for me.
* '''BB: It's been a real pleasure chatting to you, Jane and I hope that it won't be too long before we meet again.'''
You can read more about Jane Elson [[:Category:Jane Elson|here]].
{{commentfeature}}
[[Category:Interviews|Elson, Jane]] [[Category:Jane Elson]]
|title=The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Jane Elson
|reviewer=Robert James
|summary=Jill and Robert both loved [[A Room Full of Chocolate by Jane Elson|A Room Full of Chocolate]]. Jill got to do the review, but Robert was at the front of the queue with the questions when Jane popped in to see us.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444916750</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>B00GO99IYK</amazonus>
|date=#6 February 2014
}}
Jill and Robert both loved [[A Room Full of Chocolate by Jane Elson|A Room Full of Chocolate]]. Jill got to do the review, but Robert was at the front of the queue with the questions when Jane popped in to see us.
* '''Bookbag: When you close your eyes and imagine your readers, who do you see?'''
Jane Elson: A child who loves animals, probably has a special secret den that they read in: probably a bit of a daydreamer.
* '''BB: One of my favourite things about A Room Full Of Chocolate was the lovely friendship between Megan and Grace. Who are your favourite fictional friends?'''
JE: Peter Pan and Wendy immediately came to mind. That story is so haunting. I am thinking of books that had an effect on me as I was growing up. I remember a book called ''Nobody’s House'' by Martin Hall where there was a very touching friendship between the Victorian workhouse ghost and the children that lived there. I am a sucker for any book with horses! My all time favourites were the ''Flambards'' books by K M Peyton. I love the complicated friendships between Christina, Mark, William and Dick.
My favourite friendship between an animal and a child is Mary O’Hara’s ''My Friend Flicka''. The relationship between Ken and his horse Flicka is so special.
* '''BB: Also, I love books with travelling in them, so I really enjoyed reading about Megan and Grace's journey. What's the best journey you've ever been on?'''
JE: Driving with friends in a car through San Francisco. I absolutely love that city! Also exploring the south of France by car with a friend. A truly stunning part of the world. I also think any journey where you are travelling towards someone you love is special.
* '''BB: Your bio mentions that in addition to writing, you run creative writing and comedy improvisation workshops for children with special educational needs. What's the best thing about doing these?'''
JE: For me there is nothing greater in life than seeing a child’s communication skills and confidence improve. I love it when other teachers tell me that because of the drama workshops they have seen a difference in that child in other areas of their life. We have so much humour and laughter in the workshops as well. When I am teaching dyslexic children and they see how dyslexic I am, I find they relax and we have a lot of banter in the sessions which helps produce good work.
* '''BB: Prior to writing, you performed as an actress and a comedy improviser - what's the role you had the most fun playing?'''
JE: I love this question and it would make my friends laugh as they joke that for an actor whose roots are in comedy my latest roles have been so serious! But I hasten to add that these roles are extremely important.
I did a play about knife crime among youths and my most recent role was a verbatim piece about child abuse. We had a lot of laughter in breaks in rehearsals as a release from the subject matter. Laughter is so important it can really help you cope. Way way back I remember having a lot of fun playing Jackie in Noel Coward’s ''Hay Fever''.
* '''BB: Also, you write plays as well as novels - do you approach the two in similar mindsets, or is there anything different in the way you prepare to write a play compared to a book?'''
JE: I approached writing a book very differently at first, very cautiously, but then as I progressed with my course at City Lit I realized that writing dialogue for plays stood me in really good stead for writing believable conversations in books and really they are not so different. I approach both as I do when playing a role as an actor getting right inside the character.
* '''BB: Your bio also mentions you ate a lot of chocolate in the name of research - very sensible! (And if there's a sequel and you need help preparing for it, just drop me an e-mail!) What's your very favourite chocolate bar?'''
JE: Oh there’s a question! I vary but I must admit I ate an awful lot of Galaxy.
* '''BB: On a similar note, if you could give a lifetime's supply of three particular chocolate bars to three fellow authors (one each), which bars would you pick, who would you give them to, and why?'''
JE: I would give the new Cadbury’s bar Marvellous Creations to [[:Category:David Almond|David Almond]] – it has fizzy beans that explode in your mouth and surprises you like his stunning writing. You never know where it will take you. Reading [[Skellig by David Almond|Skellig]] was a wondrous adventure.
I would give Bourneville chocolate to [[:Category:Judith Kerr|Judith Kerr]]. ''When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit'' is a really special book to me and gave me the confidence to write ''A Room Full of Chocolate'' which touches on my own childhood. Bourneville was a chocolate that would have been eaten in the 1940s and must have been a truly special thing to have at that time. A rare treat like Judith Kerr’s writing.
My third lifetime supply of chocolate would go to author [[:Category:Lou Kuenzler|Lou Kuenzler]]. I would give her a life time supply of Revels. She was my tutor at City Lit and taught me so many different things. She has this amazing fun energy and each session would hold a surprise for me like Revels with all their different centres. Also they are mini chocolates which is the perfect sweets for Lou who is the author of the delightful [[Shrinking Violet by Lou Kuenzler|Shrinking Violet]] series.
* '''BB: What are you reading at the moment?'''
JE: I always have several books on the go at once. I am coming to the end of [[The Book Thief by Markus Zusak|The Book Thief]] and loving it. I have just started Anne-Marie Conway’s [[Butterfly Summer by Anne-Marie Conway|Butterfly Summer]] and am finding it very intriguing. I am just about to start [[Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher[[. Really looking forward to it. Her book [[My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher|My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece]] was a masterpiece.
* '''BB: What's next for Jane Elson?'''
JE: I have a two-book deal with Hodder so I will be busy working on Jump my second book with my lovely editor Naomi Greenwood. I also have some festival appearances which I am really looking forward to. A Room Full of Chocolate is my debut novel so this is all new and exciting for me.
* '''BB: It's been a real pleasure chatting to you, Jane and I hope that it won't be too long before we meet again.'''
You can read more about Jane Elson [[:Category:Jane Elson|here]].
{{commentfeature}}
[[Category:Interviews|Elson, Jane]] [[Category:Jane Elson]]
