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Written by JJ Barnes
I interviewed my daughter, Rose McKinney, about the book we wrote together when she was 6 years old; Nature-Girl Vs Worst Nightmare.
Tell me a bit about who you are.
My name is Rose and I am in year 4. I live in Staffordshire with my mummy, my daddy, my baby sister, Buffy, and my step brother, Zeke. I have a dog named Molly and a cat named Batman. I love dinosaurs, Lost, Dr Who, Harry Potter and art. My favourite food is cauliflower.
When did you first WANT to write a book?
When I started playing with my friends and I came up with the character Nature-Girl and I wanted to tell her story. My mummy and daddy both write books and I think it’s really cool so I wanted to write a book to be like them. I’m super lucky because they said I could and liked my ideas.
When did you take a step to start writing?
I asked my mummy if we could write a book together about Nature-Girl when I was 6 years old. We talked about what the story could be about and I came up with other characters and the school they go to; Miss Sparkles Academy For Magical Children.
How long did it take you to complete your first book from the first idea to release?
It took about 6 months. We would talk about what happens next then my mummy would type it up. Sometimes I would type bits of it on my mummy’s computer and then we’d talk about how to spell the words properly.
What made you want to write Nature-Girl Vs Worst Nightmare?
I had a million ideas in my head and I wanted to write them down into a story that people could read.
What were your biggest challenges with writing Nature-Girl Vs Worst Nightmare?
Making sure my mummy would be able to understand my ideas. Sometimes I had SO MANY ideas and we had to make sense of them so the story would make sense.
Who or what inspired you when creating your Protagonist?
The day I came up with Nature-Girl, my friends and I were having Nature Day at school, and we had to find different kind of leaves and bugs. It made me think of Nature-Girl because I liked doing it. I like nature and I thought she could be a superhero.
Who or what inspired you when creating your Antagonist?
I just thought of a good name and I thought Worst Nightmare was a cool and spooky name. Then I thought he should be everything people are scared of because that’s really creepy.
What is the inciting incident of Nature-Girl Vs Worst Nightmare?
Nature-Girl and her friends find a Bad Dream in the woods outside their school. Bad Dreams are Worst Nightmare’s sidekicks. They know that means danger is coming because when Bad Dreams come that means Worst Nightmare is coming.
What is the main conflict of Nature-Girl Vs Worst Nightmare?
Nature-Girl and her friends need to defeat Worst Nightmare and find out why he is attacking the academy.
The other conflict is Nature-Girl and her friends want to try and fix the problem themselves instead of asking the teachers to help so things go a bit wrong.
Did you plot Nature-Girl Vs Worst Nightmare in advance, or fly by the seat of your pants and write freely?
I came up with ideas as we went.
Did you get support with editing, and how much editing did Nature-Girl Vs Worst Nightmare need?
My mummy edited my book first, then it went to the editors with Siren Stories.
What is the first piece of writing advice you would give to anyone inspired to write a story?
Make sure that you have ideas in your head instead of writing nonsense.
Can you give me a hint about any further books you’re planning to write?
I want to write a book called The Phantom Dragon.
And, finally, are your proud of your accomplishment? Was it worth the effort?
Yes it was worth the effort because I love the book and I was able to bring it into school and everybody could see it and I am very happy that it’s in the world.
Pop all your book, website and social media links here so the readers can find you:
Book on Siren Stories: https://sirenstories.co.uk/books/#!/products/paperback—nature-girl-vs-worst-nightmare—jj-barnes
Ebook on Siren Stories: https://sirenstories.co.uk/books/#!/products/nature-girl-vs-worst-nightmare—rose-mckinney-and-jj-barnes—ebook
Book on Amazon: mybook.to/NatureGirl
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