Author Interview: M. G. Leonard

We were able to chat with M. G. Leonard, author of Beetle Boy, Adventures on Trains and The Twitchers! Read our exclusive interview with her below:

1. When did you decide that you wanted to become an author?

I have always been a storyteller but never dreamed of being an author. I favoured dance and drama when I was young, because I was criticised at school for poor grammar and punctuation. I was in my early thirties when, having learned a lot from theatre, a story that had been simmering away in my brain for years finally made it on to the page. Beetle Boy, took ten years to write and get published, and kick-started my career as an author.

2. Did you read lots as a child - if you did, where did you mainly read? If you didn't, what was the reason? 

I was an avid reader when I was a child. My childhood was challenging and escaping into a story was was a way to avoid the complicated nature of real life. We didn’t have many books at home. My sanctuary was the library, both at school and in town. I’m an enthusiastic advocate for libraries, they are a safe, lifting up, space for the vulnerable. They certainly were that for me.

3. What was your favourite book as a child and why?

My favourite book was The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson-Burnett. I loved the idea of a secret garden. I wished for one of my own. The main character Mary, who is a thoroughly unlikeable and obnoxious person at the start of the story, develops into someone you feel connected to, and end up liking through her growing love and care for the garden she has discovered. It’s a wonderful tale of the power of nature and friendship.

4. How does it feel to see your books in shops and being sold?

I’m just about to publish my twentieth middle-grade book but it still doesn’t feel real. I get a thrill every time I catch a glimpse of something I’ve written in a bookshop or a library. It’s wild when you unexpectedly see someone reading your book. The thing that always profoundly moves me, is when children have read a book so much they talk to me about the characters as if they’re real and sometimes even quote my words back at me.

5. What is the best part about being an author?

I love my job. I get to spend a lot of time with my head in a book, either researching for a future project, or reading other people’s work. Then I get to exercise my imagination, creating as rich a story as possible, which is such a fun and rewarding challenge. But the best thing about the job is the readers. I get to meet so many wonderful, engaged and passionate children on my travels around the country, and a few parents who are fans too. It’s an honour and a privilege I’ll never get used to.

6. What are the "not so fun bits" in being an author?

The hardest part about being an author is all the travelling and staying in hotels. I miss my husband, children and dog when I’m on the road. People think hotels are a glamourous thing, but I probably spend a third of the year in Premier Inns and the like, so I have developed a deep dislike of sleeping anywhere but my own bed. 

7. Why do you think it is important for children to read?

Reading has been proven to be the single most important skill for children to achieve social mobility when they grow up. Reading develops empathy, expands your vocabulary, helps you understand complicated things, enables escapism, can help you decide what kind of person you want to be and show you just what is possible. I believe reading is a human right and it is important all children not only learn to read but learn to love reading. That’s why I write the kinds of stories I do. I’m trying to get children to love books.

8. What is the inspiration for your books and writing?

I’m an avid reader. Often inspiration comes from thoughts I’ve had whilst reading other works, usually non-fiction. I listen to a lot of podcasts and that can spark an idea. I walk the dog every day and ideas tend to pop into my head when I’m out on the South Downs. They can hit me anywhere and come from everywhere.

9. Who gives you feedback on your drafts and how do you act on the feedback?

My trusted first-reader is my husband. He is my main sounding board. I used to send first drafts to my friends but after I’d written ten books, that just seemed mean. My agent reads everything I write, in its earliest, ugliest, form. And of course my editors read it too and give detailed feedback.

I’m much better at receiving feedback now than I was. However, I know when I open the document and read all the comments I’m going to get angry and be hurt. It’s impossible not to. I never argue with my editors. I will pass through the manuscript altering and improving everything I am asked to. Then I will re-read the book. It will always be heaps better, but I’ll not like two or three of the changes, so I’ll put back the bit that I miss. However, the objective reader’s thoughts on patches where the story is not working are always right. How they think you should fix them are nearly always wrong, but they tripped over something, so you need to fix it.

10. Finally, if you could read for an hour, on your own, anywhere in the world - where would it be?

My bedroom. It’s painted a deep Galapagos green. The walls are covered in books, the windows choked with plants. I like to curl up with a cup of tea, Nell - my dog - and open one of the many books on my TBR pile. Heaven.