Hi Janis, would you like to tell us a bit about yourself.
Hello. I am from Edinburgh, live now in Caithness in the far north in a house next to the beach and have always, in different ways, worked with words. I was a journalist but soon realised that didn’t match the dream I nurtured of ‘being a writer.’ I did the travelling thing – wonderful adventures in Greece, Turkey, Israel and working on a yacht on the Mediterranean. I studied speech and drama, specialised in voice work and taught for a good while. Immersing myself in other people’s words was an excellent apprenticeship. I also became involved with the world of storytelling – so poetry, drama, stories – and speaking poetry, feeling the sounds and rhythms, aiming to bring the images in poems and stories to life – that has been my work for twenty years. I also took an MA in creative writing and personal development from the University of Sussex. I am also lucky to come from an artistic family. My aunt Helen started the Craigmillar Festival Society and as I was growing up that, and the annual inspiration of the Edinburgh Festival, all showed me that creativity and art helps set people free. I live with my lovely partner, our dog Flora and clucking hens.
There has always been something unusual about Magnus Fin, the school misfit. On his eleventh birthday Magnus throws a message in a bottle out to sea, wishing for a best friend and to be more brave -- and he gets a lot more than he bargained for. Magnus discovers that he is half selkie -- part seal, part human -- and his selkie family urgently need his help.
Can Magnus save his new-found family from the evil force threatening all the ocean’s creatures? And will he find the friend he has always dreamed of?
You recently won the Kelpies Prize 2009 for your novel Magnus Fin and the Ocean Quest and the announcement was made at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. How did it feel to win and can you tell us a little more about the competition?
It was of course wonderful to win – and nerve racking. I had a feeling I would win but of course you want to prepare yourself for not winning – so by the time Joan Lingaard announced the winner I was ready to fall on the floor. I had recently come second in a short story competition, and was a runner up in the Mslexia poetry competition – so thought I’d be second again.
The competition runs every year and is for a novel for children aged 8 – 12, set in Scotland. I had written a story inspired by the sea and sent it to Hi-Arts for a critique (a fabulous free service for writers in the highlands) – and back came the critique with helpful suggestions, the last of which was, double the length then send this story to the Kelpies Prize! I did!
Lovely words Janis and an inspiring interview Tracy. I will certainly look out the books and keep an eye out for the adult novels. Good luck and happy writing.