Introducing the one and only Gianna Pollero!

I am SUPER excited to have thee Gianna Pollero here on Stoomio. She is equal parts bonkers and lovely (more bonkers, but shhh don’t tell her I said that) and has a great mind for writing hilarious books with incredibly lovable characters.

So here we go…

First off, tell us a little about yourself…

My name is Gianna Pollero, I’m in my VERY early 40’s and I live in Kent. My roots are both English and Italian (hence the name!) and most of my family live in a very beautiful region of northern Italy, called Liguria.  I have two children (Oscar and Sophia), a dog (Buddy) and three cats (Lupin, Molly and Charlie – points for anyone who can spot which very famous series of books the cats’ names come from!). Other than writing, I love reading, cooking, gardening, animals, art and design, summer-time, being by the sea and spending time with my family and friends. My favourite colours are blue and green, my favourite food is pasta and my favourite animal is an elephant (or a giraffe – I can never pick!) J

Tell us about your latest book…

Well, my very first series of books has just been announced by Piccadilly Press. The first one is called ‘Monster Doughnuts’ (here’s my review) and came from an idea for a character (Mr Harris) that my daughter, Sophia, had. It’s illustrated by Sarah Horne (hurrah! She’s brilliant!) and it’ll be out in the shops next summer!

Here’s what it’s about…

Ever since their parents’ mysterious disappearance ten-year-old Grace and her older sister, Danni, have been running the family bakery, Cake Hunters. Their cakes and doughnuts are the best in town – but don’t be fooled, the shop is just a front for the sisters’ much more important trade!

Grace and Danni come from a long line of monster hunters, and their amazing cakes are renowned for defeating all kinds of monsters, from Sock Stealers to Snot-nosed Ogres.

But when they come across Mr Harris – the doughnut-loving cyclops – the sisters realise they’re about to face their biggest challenge yet. Mr Harris is one tough cookie. He’s incredibly grumpy and quite people-eaty and not very good at keeping promises.

But every monster has a sweet tooth, and resisting the Hunter sisters’ marvellous concoctions is no easy task.

When Grace discovers Mr Harris has information about her missing parents, she knows she has to find a way to gain his trust, and rescue her mum and dad from their extraordinary location.

Here is a sneaky peek form the illustrator Sarah Horne …

What was your nickname at school? (If you had one)

I didn’t really have one, although some of my school friends shortened my name to just my initial, G (and most people could never pronounce my actual name! It’s easy really – ‘J-anna’ – a Gi in Italian is the same as a J in English!)

Were you good at writing at school?

Writing and art were my strongest subjects. I was much more creative than scientific. I always loved writing but I really started to get into it properly when I was about nine or ten. I was very lucky as I had a great teacher, Mrs Hannaford, at the time, who really encouraged me.

What was your favourite book as a child?

This is a hard question because I loved so many! But, I think the one that sticks in my mind the most is ‘Goodnight Mr Tom’ by Michelle Magorian. My daughter read it recently and I was reminded of how many difficult issues the story deals with, how many ups and downs there are and, mostly, how beautifully it’s written.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

To persevere and to be prepared for, and learn from, the knock-backs when you are trying to get your book noticed. Each one teaches you something new and can make you stronger and more determined!

What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?

My dad died when I was 14. I often used writing to express my emotions at the time and it helped me so much. I realised then that, for me, it was the best possible way for me to express myself and, I think, it made me more creative – so a good thing came out of a sad experience.

If you had to do something differently as a child or teenager to become a better writer as an adult, what would you do?

I would be braver about what I chose to read. I often used to stick with the same author if I liked one of their books (no bad thing!) but, sometimes, it meant I didn’t give more unusual, or different, books a go. And I truly believe the more you read, the better writer you become.

What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?

I have lots of friends who write – it’s a very supportive community and we all try to help one another by listening to ideas and reading each other’s work. They have been such a huge help with my stories because not only are they always honest about whether they have enjoyed them or not, they have also helped me develop ideas I have been struggling with because they see things from a different point of view. 

I’ve also made some lovely Twitter-writer-friends such as A.M. Howell, Harriet Whitehorn and Jack Meggitt-Phillips. I even have the odd tweet exchange with Anthony Horowitz (which I love as he is one of my writing heroes!)!

If you weren’t a writer, what would you be doing?

I think I would probably be doing something arty, or running an animal sanctuary!

Has a book ever made you cry? What was it?

‘Goodnight Mr Tom’ made me cry as a child and, as an adult, ‘The Kite Runner’ made me sob! And that’s quite something, as I don’t really cry at much at all! 

What is your writing Kryptonite?

Tring to write when I’m not in the right mood, or when I’m forcing myself to do it, is definitely my writing Kryptonite. I need to be in my happy writing bubble to come up with anything worth reading!

What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?

When I was trying to become a better writer, I paid for a couple of writing courses and conferences. I learned so much from real writers who had been through the same difficulties as me. They shared their knowledge and experiences, and it was absolutely priceless! 

What did you do with your first paycheck?

With my first real writing paycheck, I bought a beautiful writing desk so I had somewhere inspirational to sit and write my books. I will always keep it and it will always remind me of how lucky I am to be able to call myself a writer J

As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?

I think I would choose a lovely black cat as my writing spirit animal. Cats are so independent and clever, and they remind me of the sort of fantasy, ghosty, monstery stories I love writing.

Plus, my own, real cats go off on adventures all the time and I always wonder, when they reappear, what they’ve been up to and if it might make a good story!

How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?

Quite a few! I have several picture books and two middle grade chapter books that are finished but not published as well as, I reckon, about five or six half-finished books!

What does literary success look like to you?

To be honest, success for me was always being lucky enough to have a book published!

Now, I think it would be writing books as my full time job.  Fingers crossed! 

Do you Google yourself?

Not until recently when I launched my website www.giannapollero.com and I needed to check that it worked! More came up on the search than I expected!

And most importantly… What is your favourite biscuit?

This is hugely important as biscuits often fuel a long writing session.  I have a very sweet tooth but, if I had to choose just one, I’d say a chocolate chip shortbread. YUM.

---

A massive thank you to Gianna for sharing so much and for the amazing cat names. (Lupin is a great cat name!)

Gianna’s publishing deal has only just been announced so there’s nothing available to buy yet but the first book is coming next summer and then followed by book two in February 2022 and book 3 in August 2022. Exciting times!

Want to find out more about Gianna…

Website: www.giannapollero.com | twitter: @giannapp | Instagram: @giannapolleroauthor

*If you would like to do your own q&a to feature on the blog then send me an email…