Ask Our Authors - Children's Titles

Happy Publication Day everyone!

Our eighth Publication Day of 2026 brings a whole new collection of exciting stories, from a wonderful collective of talented authors!

To introduce them, we are continuing a fun feature for the year – Ask Our Authors – where we send all our newly published writers the same simple question to see how different each answer is…

For our August authors, we asked them: Are you a planner or a pantser? (Do you plan your story in detail or write more spontaneously?)

 

Here are the answers from our children’s authors …

 

 

I am a platzer , combining both to reach a dead end situation where I am forced to rely solely on one aspect and that’s usually off the cuff , spontaneous, inspired, whimsical thinking. Anything can set that off , a crow on a balcony, a ladybird in the sunshine, a cat basking in sunlight or the clocks of Big Ben ! My cat Piskit and his clockwork button is a creature if my imagination planned to be a short story but became a beautifully illustrated book through its whimsical imagery.   

 

Priti Shetty, author of Piskit and the Clockwork Button.

 

 

Given that I'm a spontaneous person you think I would be the same with my writing but the truth is I plan everything in a note books, its pretty much the only time I do plan and I have stacks of note books with story ideas from various genres. I start with the most basic start, middle and finish, from there I start writing on my laptop and as I go on I add to the note pad with things like names, descriptions and any other information I feel like important enough to keep track of, this could be something you would have to research, theme of the story and order of the stories if you a writing a series of books but the truth is, the more you plan/record the easier it is write in my in opinion. 

 

Ciaran Edwards, author of Brave Nibbles.

 

 

With my three titles I always had in mind ideas that were needed to complete each book as my books drew inspiration from real life events and experiences. Many years earlier it was always worth having a notepad and pen to hand to jot down new ideas and to lay it out how you wished to word it. However in today’s digital world, using my notepad on my iPhone was actually very useful as it was always to hand and quickly available to pop down a new idea. Additionally sentences could be edited, words changed, words or sentences copied and pasted somewhere else within the story. Even now, my iPhone notepad remains very much in use collating new ideas for my next children’s book. Being digital, text can be sent immediately to your computer via email if needed or be or forwarded elsewhere. Very useful, less time consuming and much easier than having to transfer text from paper notes which would ultimately have to be typed up digitally anyway.   

 

Graham Lelliott, author of Jack, Thomas and the Countryside Walk.

 

 

I am delta panster, as I write my ideas as I go and usually backtrack so the stories make sense .. I have tried to plan but sometimes it stifles creativity.             

 

Karl Ingham, author of Grandma Joan’s Magic Bag and the Rocket Ship.

 

 

I would probably describe myself as both a planner and a pantser. For me, these two approaches do not compete with each other; they work best together.

 

Every book begins with a clear foundation. First comes the central theme, followed by the setting, the main characters, their personalities, and a sequence of key events. I always know where the story is heading and what kind of ending it needs. When I write about nature, animals, or environmental issues, I also research the scientific background in advance, so that even the most imaginative adventures remain believable and educational.

 

However, I never plan every scene down to the final line of dialogue. Once I begin writing, the characters gradually come alive and sometimes lead me in an unexpected direction. A new conversation, an additional character, or even an entire chapter may appear spontaneously. Those unplanned moments often give the story its greatest emotional depth.

 

I frequently return to earlier chapters, rewrite them, change the order of scenes, or add details. To me, a first draft is not a finished book; it is the material from which the real story gradually emerges.

 

I pay particular attention to the characters’ first meeting and to the ending. The first interaction should immediately reveal personality and create an emotional connection with the reader. The ending should complete one journey while leaving the sense that the world of the book continues beyond the final page.

 

That is exactly what happened with Sheriff Haruka: The Guardian of the Ocean. From the beginning, I knew that Haruka would become a protector of the sea and that the story would explore friendship, responsibility, and marine conservation. However, many of the scenes, conversations, and friendships developed spontaneously as I wrote. The ending of the first book naturally opened the way to the second and third books, where the adventures become larger and the environmental and scientific themes grow even deeper.

 

My main advice to new writers is simple: make a plan, but do not let it become a cage. A plan gives the story direction, while spontaneity gives it life. Sometimes the best plot twist appears when a character unexpectedly refuses to follow your original outline."

 

Marina Paliants, author of Sheriff Haruka The Guardian of The Ocean: Adventures Of The Brave Fugu Fish.

 

 

I guess I am a pantser since I write very spontaneous. I just let the words flow in my mind.     

 

Line Adelen Asp, author of In the foggy forest there are trolls.

 

 

I'd say I'm a "plantser" - a bit of both. The characters were already clear to me at the start, for example their personalities and what they looked like. But the detail of the story was more of a surprise, evolving as I went along. Sometimes it was a discovery for me too, finding out where everyone ended up. That's the part I love about writing stories.

 

Alice Corrigan, author of George and Eleanor's Adventure at Sea.

 

 

"As a child I was a compulsive story teller, often made up on the spot, to entertain classmates!

A Mermaid's Tail was created one afternoon,spent with my 5 year old grandaughter, who was fascinated with the Mermaid statue near the pond. It was  completely spontaneous, evolving through the questions she asked and interjecting the stories she had read and loved.I didn't craft the book for many years, the original then becoming the plan.After writing this story, the strangest thing happened, the character, that was Eva, began to create further adventures in my mind and Behind the Hedge was written, almost as if the character herself, once in existence, had so much more to tell. So much so, 5 other stories were written following her magical adventures as she grew up.

Do I plan or pants it? Both happen when I'm writing...sometimes I wake up and a story has written itself while I was asleep!"    

 

Ann Campling, author of A Mermaid’s Tail.

 

 

I'm a reformed planner, now pantser. I used to plan things in meticulous detail and have almost the finished book scribbled in barely legible scrawl. That was a crazy way to do things. Now I grab a notebook and pen and do my ""broad strokes"" draft as a bullet points in a stream of consciousness kind of way. The two things I know I'll definitely need are the locations of the story, and the lesson Harry is going to learn by the end.

After that the main characters in my Harry book series (watch out for ‘Harry In Adventure Land’ coming soon) have their own motivations and personalities that are so strong that I just let them do whatever comes naturally to them. Essentially I come up with the scenarios the characters will be put in, and they write the rest themselves.

This means I can ten open my laptop, look at my “broad strokes” draft, and just start typing. After that I trust the characters to do most f the work. I just need to reign them in enough for the story to make sense! Oh, and make sure Harry learns learns that all important lesson!

 

Graham Weir, author of Harry Poos An Egg.

 

 

While I’m a planner by nature, a true Virgo at heart with itineraries and synced calendars, I am much more spontaneous with my writing. I tend to write down ideas as they come to me, making little notes on my phone here and there. However, in the case of the majority of my writing, I am quick to scribble down the entire story in minutes. I wrote The Snuggle Nuggle in about ten minutes! The idea popped in my head and I quickly jotted down every line. Fine tuning came later, when I pursued the idea of publishing the book, but very minor tweaks were made even then. I have written so many short stories, poems, even a pregnancy announcement- and all just popped into my head as the words flowed freely and quickly. I’ve found that just expressing whatever comes to mind is so much easier and I love that work so much more than concentrated thoughts and ideas.   

 

Carissa Kinder, author of The Snuggle Nuggle.

 

 

Hello everyone!! I am definitely not a planner- Ideas come to me spontaneously. I usually have a notepad handy to jot down anything that comes to mind.          

 

Gabriela Oliva, author of A Very Spoiled Cat :-)

 

 

Oooooh i'm a planner! I like to get it right ??   

 

Joanne Brown, author of My Puppy Dreams.

 

 

Honestly? Both — and I blame my day job for that. I'm a certified Project Manager, so my instinct is always to build the roadmap first. That's exactly how K-9 Academy: Book One came together. I knew Blue's story needed a clear emotional arc from the start — he's based on my real rescue dog, so I owed him (and readers) an honest structure, not just a cute premise. I outlined the beats, mapped the arc, knew the ending before I wrote page one. That book went on to win First Place for Juvenile Social Themes at BookFest, and I think the planning is a big part of why it holds together so well.

But the middle is where I let go of the plan. Once the structure's in place, the characters start making their own decisions, and I've learned to let them. Some of the most honest moments in my books came from lines I didn't outline — little gestures that ended up carrying more weight than anything I'd planned.

My biggest tip for new writers: treat your outline like scaffolding, not a cage. It holds the shape up while you build — it's not there to dictate every brick. The plan gets you moving with confidence; the best material shows up when you're spontaneous inside that structure, not before it.

The other thing that changed how I work: writing the ending first. If I know where the emotional truth of the story lands, I never lose the thread — even when I go pantsing off in a completely different direction to get there.

That's actually how Butterflies and Balloons, my next book, came to life too — I knew from the start I wanted readers to land on that feeling of finding their own ""balloon,"" so I worked backward from that ending. It releases August 27th, and I hope it finds its way to readers who need a little lift.

 

Lisa Wilford, author of Butterflies and Balloons.

 

 

I tend to plan in my head for a while until I’m hit with a spark of motivation to sit down and write. Once I begin writing, I try to get the rough plan I thought up out on paper and then organize from there. Seeing it in real life helps me to consider changes and details to make my writing say exactly what I want it to. Don’t get stuck in the planning phase!             

 

Jamie L. Fricker, LCSW, author of Theo Goes to Therapy.

 

 

I am a spontaneous writer.  Ideas, characters and rhyming words are sparked by things I see or conversations that I have (especially with children).  When I was planning to write a Fledge Town story featuring a builder bird, I waited for inspiration to strike.  A colleague's near building disaster referenced ""a cheese of doom"".  This made me laugh. 

Straight after that conversation, I started to play around with ideas.  Putting pen to paper, I started at the beginning of the story, trusting that my imagination would take me on a journey.  Ideas became clearer when I was relaxed, focused on something else or when I woke up early in the morning and my thoughts were meandering through the story.  Many rhyming words fell into place, whilst others needed to be carefully considered.  The 'bounce', across each line needed to work too.  I read the story out loud repeatedly to assess the rhythm, before testing out the full story with children from a local primary school.  They love it.  I then moved on to refining elements until I reached the point of landing on the final version. 

My reflection: I am dyslexic and struggle with pronunciation and reading new material.  But I have learned that diverse thinking is a strength.  If you enjoy writing about a world that you created in your imagination, share it with others.  Start there, go anywhere.          

 

Lorna H Stalker, author of The Cheese Wedge of Doom.

 

 

I would say, I'm a bit of both. When I have initial ideas I jot them down. My brain jumps all over the place with ideas and I've found it is good to write the ideas as they come to me; otherwise I forget them. When I have plenty of ideas I like to do a bit of planning. Get a general idea for the story set out. Then I just go for it! I write in rhyme, so when I'm on a roll, I keep writing. I often make lists of words that rhyme to help with the ideas and the flow of the story.

Notebook and pen / pencil are my best friends. Writing by hand, crossing things out and changing ideas helps me process my ideas and put the story together.

When I have a good chunk of the story written, I like to leave it for a bit, may a couple of hours, maybe a day or two, and then go back to it refreshed. I read it through again and see if I still like it or if parts need to be tweaked.

My debut book is coming out in August. I had an idea for a story and went with it. Now I am a published author!

 

Jo Minns, author of Zo-Zo and the motorbike trial.

 

 

"I would say a little of both to be honest. My personal way of writing is two fold. If it's for children's stories, I use a selection of stuffed toys. Normally these are chosen by my own children. I then have to make up a bedtime story on the spot with these characters.

If it's a hit, it will be requested again and again until it's really fine tuned and then I write it down and turn it into rhyme.

If it's not a hit, it will be forgotten quickly.

For my adult fiction work, this is always inspired by a single song. Usually a soundtrack piece from a film. Big fan of Hans Zimmer. The song will usually inspire a scene for me, a very intense scene, perhaps the whole climax of the story. Like when I write my children books, I will repeat it again and again until it is very finely tuned. Sometimes I will listen to these soundtracks close to a thousand times until I can see that scene as if it was a memory from watching a film.

Then I will expand and turn that scene into whole story. Usually other tracks will help me on that journey. "   

 

Jamie Page, author of The Fox With No Friends.

 

 

Planning for the first time was difficult to do, over a few years .then in 2024 October

I decided to continue my writing and finding my old Story's that I almost destroyed

of Wilfred the Snail. looking back to my Childhood days, and raised on a Farm to which

had many  Wild Animals in and around the Woods and the Lane I used to go.

On the Farm itself, each day was seeing the Goats, the Chickens  the Ducks ,Foxes,

the big old Oak Trees and the Wild Birds in their Nest.

 being inspired to continue to Write further Books, and the help from the library.

I can now continue to write further children's Books, and it has been Life-changing

for me the way I work.

 

Patrick A. Vanlind, author of The Adventures of Wilfred the Snail with one L.

 

 

I would describe myself as a planner who still leaves space for discovery. I always use my adventures and experiences to inspire my writing, and I find that taking photographs of Pete the pasty on his adventures helps me to plan my writing effectively. I usually set out with a plan in mind and then see where the rest takes me.

My process begins before I write. On adventures, I am always being curious, because there is always something new to notice if we take the time to look. I want my story to help children be curious about the world around them, so I first have to plan this during my exploring before writing. Then comes the jotting of notes in a lovely notepad — I do love stationery, so any excuse to buy a new notepad. I think carefully about the key parts of the story first, for this story 'Pete the Pasty goes on Safari', I thought carefully about the setting, the animals, and the moments I want children to notice.

I always refer back to my photographs and any notes I wrote about the animals and the setting. That helps me keep the writing grounded in real observation. The big changes to the story often come when I start thinking about rhyming words. I make a list of rhyming words to help build the sentences, and I underline words that I am unsure of so that I can come back to them later.

My approach is simple: I always write, write, write, get my notes jotted down on the paper, and then work through the piece slowly. That balance of planning and flexibility helps me keep the story organised while still allowing it to develop naturally.    

 

Rebecca Durkin, author of Pete the Pasty goes on Safari.

 

 

Spontaneity best describes my approach. I have always written poetry, but I was inspired to create a bedtime story for my children. I would read to them most nights, and eventually decided to write my own. I prefer to write in rhyme, as it often allows a story to evolve in unexpected directions—for example, this book began as a tale about wolves and ultimately led my imagination to Mermaid Falls. My advice is to take up a pen and allow your imagination to guide your writing wherever it may lead, without allowing limitations, self-doubt, or hesitation to interfere. Regardless of your education or background, it is important to believe in yourself. Do not be afraid of failure, as some of life’s most valuable lessons come from mistakes. There is no success without failure. Good luck.     

 

John Haughie, author of Mermaid falls.

 

 

I do plan a narrative arc initially so that I know how my chapters will be divided up. My book has multiple narrators so it was important I could see overall how the story was going to be told through different perspectives. After that, I tend to just write. Ideas will come to me spontaneously and as I get to know my characters during the course of writing, I feel they sometimes dictate a route to go. This isn't always something you can do at the start. It's great fun when your characters take over!

 

Dawn Harwood, author of Revenge of the Giant Sand Monsters.

 

 

"I think I live somewhere in the middle between a planner and a pantser.

I’m definitely not the kind of writer who plans a story in detail before starting, but I’m not entirely spontaneous either. I’m constantly collecting ideas. I usually carry a notebook with me, and when I don’t have it, my phone becomes one. A sentence, an image, a character, a strange little thought — if something catches my attention, I write it down. So, in a way, there is always some planning happening in the background.

What I can’t really do is write several stories at the same time. The ideas may come — and they do! — but if I try to give them all my attention at once, they start bleeding into each other. Voices get mixed up, moods wander from one text to another, and eventually I’m not quite sure which story a thought belonged to in the first place. So I prefer to stay with one story until it’s finished, while the others wait patiently in notebooks and phone notes for their turn.

I love order on my desk. Inside the story, though? Not so much.

When I write a first draft, I like to give myself the freedom to follow the story wherever it wants to go. I don’t want to know every turn in advance. I’d rather discover things along the way, make a mess, surprise myself, and worry about structure later.

Then comes rewriting — and that’s when I pick up the plane and start smoothing the rough wood.

For me, that is much harder than writing the first draft. There’s something wonderfully forgiving about a blank page: anything can happen there. But once the words exist, I become terribly reluctant to let them go. Cutting a sentence I love, removing a scene, replacing something that sounded perfect yesterday… that can feel almost physically painful. Writing gives me possibilities; rewriting asks me to make choices.

So perhaps I’m a planner around the story and a pantser inside it. I collect, organize, save, and wait — but once I sit down to write, I leave the map aside for a while. I need a little order to protect the chaos, and a little chaos to make the story feel alive."          

 

Alina Diaconu, author of Fairy Tale Veggie Soup.

 

 

Once I have an idea for a story,  I think about it and allow ideas to filter through my head until I have the first line. Once that is written, I jot ideas and thoughts into a notebook and begin to write. Sometimes the story will go in a different direction than I expected but I go with that and find sometimes the story almost writes itself! I check back to my notebook to ensure none of my thoughts and plans have been missed out until the story is finished. I leave it for a few days, reread what I have written, amend if necessary and again wait a few days to ensure the story I wanted to write is the story on the page. I further check if the ending is logical and if it is a pleasure to read. Once I am at that stage, I add illustrations if used, and then ask a friend to read it for me and take note of any comments they have made until it is finished and can be submitted. 

 

Ursula Maye, author of The Mermaid in the tree.