I was so thrilled that THEE Justyn Edwards is here. You may have already guessed… he writes books. And blooming good ones too.
His 2022 debut The Great Fox Illusion was Blackwell’s Children’s Book of the Month, listed by Waterstones as one of their Best Children’s Books of the Month, a Toppsta Best Book of the Month, and listed for the Adrien Prize, the Phoenix Book Award, the Children’s Literature Festivals Book Awards, the Kernow Youth Book Award, and the Dudley Children’s Book Award.
Not bad Justyn, not bad at all.
First off, tell us a little about yourself…
My name is Justyn Edwards, and I made up some stuff on my laptop and sent it off to agents at the start of the first lockdown, and now The Great Fox Illusion is out there lurking in bookshops. If you see one, you should probably call the Police because this shouldn’t have happened.
What is your local bookshop and how can people find it?
I’ve recently moved to Cornwall from Dorset, and now my local is the brilliant Stories by the Sea (https://wherereadingrocks.com). A gorgeous little bookshop in St Ives – can you imagine anything better? You need to go there and visit it. Seriously, get on with it.
Tell us all about your book ‘THE GREAT FOX ILLUSION’.
Thirteen-year-old Flick Lions has won a place on a new television show, in which young people compete to win the legacy of The Great Fox, one of the world’s most famous TV illusionists. But Flick isn’t interested in uncovering The Great Fox’s tired old tricks – she’s after something much more important. The Fox destroyed her family, and this is Flick’s only chance to put things right. Inside his house is a secret that will change the world of illusion forever, and Flick will go to any lengths to find it.
What was your nickname at school? (If you had one)
I wish I could tell you I was called the J-dog, J-Dizzle, or Grand Master J the Lord of Cool, but my friends just called me Justyn. I wish I’d hung out with people with more imagination now. I feel let down.
Were you good at writing at school?
Not particularly. I’m sure many of my teachers would be surprised I’ve written a book (some of them might be surprised to find out I’m still alive, quite frankly). I used to love dreaming up stories, and I would doodle in my books a lot, and my friends and I would spend hours making up comedy sketches that weren’t very funny.
But actually writing? Not so much.
The problem was that when I wrote things, I was bad at spelling and grammar, forming interesting sentences, and all the important writing-things-so-they-actually-make-sense bits. Then one very important day, many years later, I discovered that if you rewrite and rewrite again, and rewrite again, and again, and keep chipping away at what you’ve written, it does eventually get better.
At some point, it doesn’t make people’s eyes bleed and they may somehow enjoy reading it. Hopefully, some of my sentences in The Great Fox Illusion are fit for human consumption, but maybe turn the pages slowly and be prepared to look away if your eyes start hurting.
What was your favourite book as a child?
I loved the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and also the Dirk Gently series – basically, anything by Douglas Adams. The limitless feel of imaginative writing was utterly compelling, and then to make you laugh while doing that – well, I was hooked.
What was it that inspired you to become a writer?
When I was older, I also adored The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie and discovered that a very exciting story with a sense of humour was something special. That was what I wanted to have a go at. Then there was just the small matter of sitting down and producing sixty-thousand coherent words in a pleasant order.
What are common traps for aspiring writers?
Not writing. Don’t tell yourself you can’t do it. Don’t tell yourself you can do it and then stare out of the window. Don’t tell yourself you can do it and then surf the internet. You get the idea. Seriously, get on with it.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
I used to read beautifully written books with lovely sentences and think that I could never do it, and I was right. Then I read books by authors like Lee Child and discovered short sentences. No fluff. No pretence. Simple words. Writing that was enough to convey a gripping story. I realised I could do that. I’d like to go back to my younger self and point that out to them.
What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
I don’t know any other authors. Not one. Most of my friends are plumbers, gardeners, and international stuntmen, and they’re all too busy fixing leaks and staying alive to help me make stuff up.
If you weren’t a writer, what would you be doing?
Well, I’ve spent most of my working life being a software engineer. I’d probably still be doing that. In other words…
if(noOneBuysMyBooks())
continueCoding();
else
writeMoreBooks();
By the way, if you don’t speak code this joke is very, very funny (funny != TRUE).
Has a book ever made you cry? What was it?
A few. I found The Book Thief by Markus Zusak very emotional, but I don’t seek out books that I think are going to upset me.
What is your writing Kryptonite?
Often the thing that stops me writing the book is thinking about another book.
What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
A good laptop and a comfortable seat are essential.
What does literary success look like to you?
Sometimes, when I write a passage, I can be very happy with what I’ve done. At that moment, I don’t really care what anyone else thinks. This is the highest literary success.
Do you Google yourself?
I have done this at times, but I try and avoid it! Sometimes there are pictures of me. Eeeek.
And most importantly… What is your favourite biscuit?
I’m quite a fan of a Golden Crunch. They’re a bit special.
If you’d like to stalk Justyn Edwards some more and find some of his work here are some handy links 🙂
Justyn Edwards website: justynedwards.com
Twitter: @justynedwards
Book Justin for a school visit: Here
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