For All You Chinese Readers of 'Midnight Blue'

寫作關於午夜藍

自從我寫午夜藍，已是一個很長的時間了。過去當我是五個孩子的母親時, 常忙碌照顧子女,所以沒有空閒時間寫作。但寫作是我的愛好自從我是個孩子，沒有它我感到生活枯燥。

午夜藍大部分都是在清晨，我的孩子醒來之前寫的。我寫我所知道的地方和我愛的國家。Highholly Hill 是一個真實的地方: Long Mountain 在英格蘭(England)和威爾士(Wales)之間的邊界。Highholly House 也是一個真實的地方, 我在那所房子渡過了一整個冬天。即使它很陳舊古老,是很難找到一個更漂亮的地方。

傳說中的埃德里克的寶座(Edric’s Throne)是什羅普的(Shropshire)傳說。在現實生活中，寶座被稱為'魔鬼的椅子'。但傳說中講述埃德里克(Edric)和神大(Godda)的故事和我書中的描述是一樣的。

[It’s a long time now since I wrote Midnight Blue.  I was a busy mum with five young children and no spare time, but ever since I’d been a child I’d wanted to write and without it life felt dead. 

Most of Midnight Blue was written early in the morning before my children awoke.  I wrote about the places I know and the country life I love.  Highholly Hill is a real place, the Long Mountain on the border between England and Wales, and Highholly House is real as well.  I spent a winter living in it and it would be harder to find a more beautiful house anywhere, even though it’s old and very run down.

The legend of Edric’s Throne is a real Shropshire legend.  In real life, the throne is called ‘the Devil’s Chair’.  But the legend tells the story of Edric and Godda just the way I write about them in the book.

I’ve always been fascinated by balloon flight, and the type of flight I write about in the book seems particularly exciting.  Recently I’ve written about balloon flight again, in a very different sort of novel, about friendship and its limits in the face of terminal illness.  In this novel, ‘Flying for Frankie’, the main characters in ‘Midnight Blue’ – Bonnie, Michael and Maybelle, all make tiny guest appearances at the end.  So do look out for it. 

‘Midnight Blue’ won the Smarties Book Prize for best book of the year. I felt incredibly honoured, especially as it was my first novel.  I’ve written many books since, a number using legends and myths too.  Take a look at the books on my website.  If you like modern stories with a sense of magic about them, I’d particularly recommend the trilogy of books ‘Sabrina Fludde’, ‘The Red Judge’ and ‘Mad Dog Moonlight’. ] 

DO LOOK OUT FOR THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY E-BOOK EDITION OF MIDNIGHT BLUE, WHICH WILL BE OUT LATER THIS YEAR.