In our lifetimes, most of us will have had to pack up our things, say goodbye to our friends, and move into a new home at least once. Change will forever be a scary unknown, but as a child, moving can be a seismic shift full of trepidation and fear.

It’s not all doom and gloom though! New adventures await, with new people to meet and new places to explore. Young Jay, who has just moved to the seaside town of Woolacombe Bay, meets his new friend Adam, shortly before he mysteriously vanishes.

With strange clues placed for Jay to discover, what dangers lurk in the rocks and coves?

Dawn Harwood is the author of this new tale, and we got to speak with her about Jay’s brand-new adventure. We talked about Jay’s origins, how this book has been shaped over many years, and how she hopes it encourages children to pick up reading in this modern age.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jay and the Giant Sand Monsters is an adventurous tale, set on the sandy shores of Jay’s new home. It’s a wonderful read and offers an intriguing tale for young readers looking for a greater challenge. Where did the story of Jay originally come from?

The story of Jay originated from a combination of family memories and classical literature. Jay himself is based loosely on my son, Joseph – a fun loving, football mad boy who is also very caring and loyal to his friends and family.

The setting of Woolacombe was decided upon because of our family holidays there every year with a wish to ‘one day move there’ which is, of course, exactly what Jay’s family do.

When holidaying in Woolacombe with my parents joining us too, we would very often all go bodyboarding apart from my Mum, who would not only look after all the belongings but create the most wonderful sand sculptures for our children to discover when we all returned. This could be anything from racing cars, fairy tale castles or creatures - whatever they had requested actually!

It was these memories which gave me the idea for my book - where these creatures would magically become real. This, in turn, then reminded me of one of my favourite classic novels, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, and the question that if you create something and give life to it, but then cast it aside, the feelings of loss and abandonment can turn very quickly into something more dangerous, as we see with Adam and the Giant Octopus.

As a primary school teacher, you have bore witness to the stories and books children enjoy and engage with – often times, handing the book to your students directly. How have those experiences helped shape the narrative and characters of your writing?

My experiences as a primary school teacher, of reading class stories and observing children’s choices of books to read for pleasure, has enabled me to see what our young readers enjoy.

They prefer something magical, which includes fantastical creatures and imagined kingdoms, as well as being able to relate to the main characters in order to understand their decisions and dilemmas. I hope that I have managed to include all of this in my book.

You’ve previously shared with us that writing has been a life-long desire and Jay and the Giant Sand Monsters has been in development for many years. Our question to you: what led to the finalising and publication of your debut?

Writing a book is a long process. It takes patience and determination.

Juggling my writing alongside being a teacher and a mum of two meant that this story took a very long time to complete, edit and then prepare for submission.

An ankle operation and the consequent time off work due to a lengthy recovery meant I had time to finalise my story for publication once Pegasus had accepted my debut book.

As my son said, it was ‘now or never’!

We like to ask our authors who work alongside children a very important and poignant question: in a world where eyes are drawn by bingeable TV shows, gripping video games and addictive social media, why should picking up a book be a worthwhile investment?

Reading a book takes you into a world of your own imagination. It expands your creativity and allows you to think, digest and discuss the words on the page. It enables you to relax; have a quiet space in which to reflect, predict and learn.

Social media, video games and bingeable TV cannot give you these things. They are instant, fast-paced and sometimes negative forms of entertainment; all absolutely fine in proportion but reading a book should also be part of an otherwise busy and noisy day.

Thank you for answering our questions. Before we leave, we’d love to hear if there are any more stories waiting to be told and shared with the world? What else have you got lined up creatively?

I have written a sequel to Jay and the Giant Sand Monsters. There is a natural progression on to the second story from the ending of the first one, plus the addition of some new characters and new, terrifying creatures!

I am also writing a Christmas adventure story set on the Isle of Arran in Scotland. The inspiration for this story comes from my daughter living there for a while. It is a beautiful place, and the history, wildlife and landscape of the island has enabled my mind to imagine once again…

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jay and the Giant Sand Monsters is available now in paperback.