How do you feel about the book launch?
SUPER excited - it's a bit surreal to say 'I have a book launched on the 28th September and 'I am a published author now!'  It has been a labour of love for 15 months with lots of twists and turns, up and downs. It's been an amazing experience and learning journey.  You think let me write a book -  you write it, then that's it. No! I did not envisage the size of the task when I started but I had a vision and was determined. But the reality is, I had an amazing team to work with that has made it a great experience. 

What prompted you to write this book?
I live in the UK now but I have family back in New Zealand.  My grandson is almost 6 years old now and I wanted to have something really special to do with him when we video chat. So when he gets to the age when he is wanting to read stories, this book series can be the special thing we can read together! 

For anyone discovering Guardians of the Mythical Realms for the first time, how would you describe the book in your own words? It's a story of five children based in the UK drawn into an adventure with mythical creatures only thought to be from myths and folklore. They then discover there are hidden realms, but the question is - why them? It is then revealed they are 'Guardians' chosen by the spirits of the universe. This is their story.

Where did the original idea for "The Guardianship Begins" come from? 

I love the idea of myths, magic and the unknown.  I was holidaying in the Isle of Skye in Scotland - it was rainy and misty, but I loved it!. The landscape is very dramatic there but really very beautiful. They have a valley their called the Fairy Glen which when the mist rolls in, it creates an amazing feeling of mystery and intrigue. That's where the idea  of the Mythical Realms came from - what if we had worlds right here that we could not see? I then thought about how would humans interact with them?  That's when the idea of the Guardians started. 

Why did you decide to centre the book around five different children rather than one main character?

Initially I planned to do three separate stories with hero's, but then I had the idea to merge the adventures into one main storyline and create one hero per story.  Then I found I have enough story line and characters to make a series.

Which character was the easiest to write, and which one surprised you most?

The easiest to write was Hudson, as was based on my husbands upbringing. Pretty adventurous as a kid, he spent a lot of time on a farm, and loves working out how things work mechanically.  The character who surprised me most was Becky.  She developed  as i wrote iinto a strong confident young girl who was going through a hard time, as so many kids do today. But she never gave up and is going to play an important role in the next books.

Do you have a favourite realm, creature or magical moment in the book?

I love all the realms but my favourite is Cornelia - the 'Pixies Realm' . It's full of character, history and interesting creatures. In book 1, we have only learnt very little about this realm, but there is much more to come. My favourite creatures - it's difficult but  it's a toss up between Saxon the Dragon, and the Trolls, King Strulch in particular - he is very crafty! Difficult to name one magical moment  but when Sammy who thinks she dreamt her adventure. I could have imagined how she was feeling at that point, so it feels very magical to know that Seamus and the realm she visted actually exists.

What was it like having your book edited?

I have to say that I was so lucky to have met June from Russell-Alexander Publishing.  She has been amazing by coaching me through the whole process. We did three edits of the manuscript each time addressing the themes, the structure, the age appropriate wording, the plots - what worked, what didn't and why. Sometimes it meant I had to make hard decisions like what age group will this be for then  sacrificing ideas that would be too overwhelming for younger readers. 

June kept me honest and positive through it all. No promises of stardom, just 'we will make your book the very best it can be' and that was a good approach for me. I have to say, when I got the final manuscript and saw that I actually had my very own book, it made a little teary with joy.  I actually felt very proud as it's turned out to be a great wee story in the end! June - got me there and I am ever grateful to her for all the support, dedication and friendship she gave on this journey.  

What was your experience working with an Illustrator?

Charlotte Witts came onto the project when we were on Edit 3. Her talent was evident from her great Instagram page illustrations and we forged a good working relationship.  We would block the illustrations together like a movie scene as I shared my vision of a potential layout, then shared a brief of what I would like to see. We bounced ideas about character features, clothing, world creation, etc, then she would create the amazing illustrations we see in the book today. Charlotte really brought the realms and characters to life, so thank you for your belief in the story and dedication to getting the highest quality of illustration, and this shines through on every illustration. For me it felt like opening up a Christmas box - the wow's and 'gosh look at this it's wonderful'  were there every time. It was really important to have an illustrator instead of an AI generated image. I wanted the personal touch and that's what Charlotte brought - Thank you so much Charlotte!