Welcome to Stoomio Jemma Hatt, let’s get straight to it…
First off, tell us a little about yourself…
My name is Jemma Hatt, I’m a Children’s Author from Kent! When I’m not writing I enjoy reading, films and being outdoors – especially on the beach!
Tell us all about your book series and the latest addition ‘The Adventurers and the Continental Chase’.
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The Adventurers follows a group of children and their Border collie as they solve mysteries everywhere from Cornwall to Cairo! In the fourth book, Continental Chase, they go on a wild road trip across Europe on the trail of criminals with a legacy of secrets!
What was your nickname at school? (If you had one)
I was always just called my name or a shortened version of it (Jem / Jems / JemJems)!
Were you good at writing at school?
Well I definitely wrote a lot, so I got plenty of practice in! I kept diaries and wrote a lot of stories in primary school.
What was your favourite book as a child?
It’s hard to pick just one… I have a beautiful hardback copy of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden, illustrated by Graham Rust, which I’ve read a few times. I was also a big fan of Enid Blyton. Lots of people compare The Adventurers to books such as The Famous Five. Whilst there’s certainly similarities, I think there’s also some key differences, particularly in humour.
What was it that inspired you to become a writer?
I’ve always wanted to write children’s books for as long as I can remember, although I stopped writing for a few years after I left university. I write about the ideas and places that I was most interested in as a child. Even today, I’m still fascinated by secret places, hidden treasures and codes.
What are common traps for aspiring writers?
I think some writers can spend a lot of time worrying that their work is no good. My grandmother used to say ‘worrying never solved anything’ – which is the best piece of advice I can give anyone. If enough people read your book, someone’s going to dislike it – and that’s okay!
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
To be more confident.
What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?
When I was sixteen, I moved to a new school and my teachers gave me lower predicted A level grades than I needed to get into my top choice university. I went round to each of them individually to ask for reconsideration. Some were much harder to convince than others! After a couple of weeks of bargaining, either through the power of language (or because they simply wanted to get rid of me) I’d negotiated up all of my predicted grades. I then worked as hard as I possibly could to make sure I achieved those grades… and I just about managed it!
What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
Writing is a pretty solitary business and I’ve met very few other authors in person, although I hope to change that! So far, pretty much all of my friendships with other writers have been through social media. Chris Callaghan, Adam Croft and Karen Inglis are all writers who I connected with early on in my writing career and they were all generous in sharing some of their experiences within the business of writing.
If you weren’t a writer, what would you be doing?
HR Project Management. I wish I could say something fun or witty about that… but I really can’t!
Has a book ever made you cry? What was it?
The one that springs to mind is The Two of Us: My Life with John Thaw by Sheila Hancock. I sobbed my way through the entire book.
What is your writing Kryptonite?
I prefer not to plan in much detail, which results in me getting a bit stuck sometimes over a tricky part of the plot. If you ever read my books and think ‘I don’t know how the characters are going to get out of that situation’ – at the time of writing, I probably didn’t know either.
What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
I think writers are lucky in that we don’t need much to start writing – a pen and paper will do! But I’d probably say my MacBook Air. The battery life is excellent, so I can tap more words out before it dies!
As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
A dolphin. Like me, dolphins enjoy floating on water, and they have strong bonds with their family and friends.
What does literary success look like to you?
Lots of money.
Just joking! Lots of money would be very nice, but I would honestly continue writing even if I didn’t earn a penny, because receiving letters from children to tell me that they’ve enjoyed the books is the best thing in the world.
Do you Google yourself?
Not on the regular!
And most importantly… What is your favourite biscuit?
I’m quite partial to shortbread. A classic never dies!
Thank you so much Jemma 🙂 it was great having you on. I’d love you to come back on in the not so distant future.
If you would like to follow Jemma’s work online then here you go…
Website: jemmahatt.com
Twitter: @JemmaHatt
Instagram: @JemmaHatt
And if you’d like to buy Jemma’s awesome books you can do so using the affiliate links below…
Bookshop.org (supports local publishers)
Amazon
(Photography credit: Emily Dews Photography)
*If you are an author (or publisher who would like to introduce an author) and would like to do your own q&a, or something else, to feature on the blog then send me an email… It’s a great opportunity to wax lyrical about your work and do some shameless self-promotion.
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