The Kete Questionnaire — Karen McMillan
Author:
Karen McMillan
Publisher:
Duckling Publishing
ISBN: 9781991170194
Date published:
01 July 2023
Pages:
192
Format:
Paperback
RRP:
$21.99
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Karen McMillan has written 21 diverse books, published in 10 countries, from bestselling novels, The Paris of the East, The Paris of the West and Brushstrokes of Memory, to non-fiction books that inspire and help others: Everyday Strength and Unbreakable Spirit, and now the popular Elastic Island Adventures series for children. Elastic Island Adventures: Rarotonga was written with thanks to the Pacific Resort in Rarotonga.
You started the Elastic Island Adventures as a fun family project to enjoy with your husband’s granddaughter, Milla. It now seems to have taken on a life of its own. How many books are there and why do you think they’ve been so popular?
Elastic Island Adventures: Rarotonga is the seventh stand-alone book for 7 to 12-year-olds, and there is also a picture book for younger readers, Blong the Cat’s Costume Caper. Yes, they have definitely taken on a life of their own and there are more books in the pipeline. I can’t really tell you why they are so popular but I seemed to have tapped into something that children really enjoy and relate to. It might be the South Pacific setting – who doesn’t love being on a tropical island by the beach? Maybe it’s the four relatable Kiwi kids, Kiri, Jed and twins Emma and Ethan? So many kids tell me they identify with the individual characters. Maybe it’s the real-life exotic creatures that feature in each book? Or maybe it’s simply the fun of the adventures, where ordinary kids get to do extraordinary things.
What lead you to keep writing the books?
The readers. I get emails most weeks from children who tell me how much they love the books and they are always asking when the next book will be out. Also, my children’s book publisher, Chrissy Metge at Duckling Publishing, has contracted more books. I affectionately refer to her as The Slave Driver.
What sort of feedback do you get from young readers – and what do you think meeting young readers has taught you about writing for youngsters?
This is the latest message from a young reader: ‘It was the best book ever! Please keep on writing more books. You're such a great writer!’ Needless to say, that made my day!
And here are a couple of other messages received recently:
‘I've just finished the Elastic Island books. I'd like to tell you one of my favourite characters which is Emma. I like her because she is a bookworm like me and has lots of empathy.’
‘I have recently just finished reading all of the ELASTIC ISLAND ADVENTURES. And am absolutely obsessed they are so fun, family friendly and are such a good series to settle down to at night.’
Typically, children tell me they enjoy the books, that they relate to the main characters and that they enjoy the fun of the stories. I’ve done many school events, which are such a joy to engage with the children in person. I think meeting young people helps keep the books focused on them. I’m not writing worthy, serious books – I’m writing fun adventures that children are enjoying. But my books are not without merit.
It’s all about creativity and literacy, as far as I’m concerned. I really want to engage the ‘theatre of the mind,’ which hopefully will encourage children’s own creativity. I’m always thrilled when children tell me they are now writing their own stories after reading Elastic Island Adventures books. And the books are definitely about encouraging literacy, even though they do it in an undercover way. I don’t simplify the language but attempt to give children such an exciting story that they will want to keep reading and learn new words along the way.
Essentially, the stories are about resilience, teamwork and working together to get out of sticky situations or solve problems. The four main characters are normal everyday children with distinct interests and talents, so I think this inspires readers in their own lives as well.
Sponsorship from a Cook Islands ‘ resort!? How did that come about – and isn’t that the dream for an author to get sponsorship that enables them to be somewhere tropical and research/write?
Long story short, a conversation turned into this fabulous opportunity, where I got to spend a week at the Pacific Resort researching the book. Of course, everyone teased me that I was swanning off on holiday, and it certainly had a relaxation element, but I had a full agenda of meetings and places to research. What an absolute privilege!
How did being in Rarotonga influence/shape the writing of this book?
Being in Rarotonga was crucial for writing this book and I couldn’t have written it without my week spent researching in person. All the previous books in the Elastic Island Adventure series are set on made-up islands in the South Pacific, based on my many visits to the islands over the years. The new book is another page-turning adventure as part of the series but, along the way, children get to learn a lot about Cook Islands culture. I got a lot of support from the Pacific Resort and Cook Islands Tourism in writing the book and they were there for all my questions. And the cover art is by local artists Pania and Ivon Lee. My publisher and I felt it was important to have an artist from Rarotonga do the cover art, which is recognisably Muri Beach in Rarotonga.
What were the books you liked to read as a young person? How did these influence you in writing The Elastic Island series?
I was a bookworm as a kid and I spent so much time reading that I’d be aware of adults gathering nearby, worrying out loud that I was reading too much. I devoured everything I could get my hands on. Some of the books I loved as a child I’ve included as a reading list in Elastic Island Adventures: Alphabet Resort, as all the buildings in the resort are named after a children’s book author. I thought this was a fun way to highlight age-appropriate and wonderful books for any child reading my book and hopefully direct them to try out other authors.
Karen McMillan: “Being in Rarotonga was crucial for writing this book and I couldn’t have written it without my week spent researching in person.”
How did you become a writer?
As well as loving to read books when I was young, I also loved writing stories. They were regularly published on the children’s page of a Sunday newspaper back in the day. I really didn’t think anything of it at the time but I now realise this was the perfect start to becoming a published author. Just the act of having so much fun writing and then having the thrill of seeing a story in print. I still have such joy when I write, I really love having an idea that turns into a published book. I love every part of the process – with the exception of the week prior to publication, where I typically have self-doubts and anxiety, but that is normal for nearly all writers I know!
You’ve also written adult fiction and non-fiction. Do you have a favourite genre and if so, what and what makes you pick this one?
My favourite is always whatever I am working on at the time. But I particularly enjoy writing historical fiction for adults. I love going down the research rabbit hole before finally popping out the other end, having immersed myself in a different time and place.
How does the process of writing something like Elastic Island differ from writing a novel for adults like The Paris of the East and The Paris of the West? And does it change, again, when it becomes a series and you’re getting to know the characters better?
When writing fiction for adults, I’m very considered about what I’m writing about. There are themes I want to explore, a period of history that I might want to recreate for a modern audience, ideas that I want to communicate. There is usually significant research and it’s a long slow but enjoyable process.
My process of writing for children is very different from this. When writing Elastic Island Adventures, I am very child-centric in my approach. Yes, I’m writing as an adult but I’m viewing it all through the filter of my ten-year-old self – my younger self is still very much alive! There seems to be more spontaneous ideas, a certain subconscious madness that I let flow when writing for children. I try not to examine it too much, as children relate to my books, and it’s them I am writing for. I fear that if I get too ‘adult’ about the process, I’ll lose the special creative spark that seems to be part of these books.
I think it gets easier to write a series when you know the characters so well. I put my children into the adventure and they take over at that point as though they are real. I just have to type fast to get down what they are doing and saying. It makes it extraordinarily fun to write as they react to the situations I’ve put them into.
What is your process for writing – is it something you do every day?
Unfortunately, with life’s commitments, I don’t write every day. But I’ve learnt not to fret about the times I can’t write and I just enjoy the times when I can. I’m fortunate I can write anywhere – and I’ve written on buses, trains, cafes or at the airport – as well as in my home office. And typically, when I get going on a fiction project, I just keep writing until I have a first draft down. I write with speed and urgency when I’m in this mode, I probably look quite demented, banging away on my keyboard and trapped in the story in my head. But that approach works for me and once I’ve got the first draft down, I can rework it in a more dignified and leisurely fashion. For non-fiction, it’s another process again typically involving lots of lists and interviews and scheduling.
What are you working on now?
I’m just doing the final proofing for The Quokka Logic and Baking Book, something very different in the Elastic Island Adventures world, out in September and published by Duckling Publishing. It combines the fun of ‘Quokka Logic’ from the series – children have been asking for a Quokka Logic Book – as well as family recipes, many of them from handwritten recipe books from my mum and nana.
As far as writing goes, I’m working on a new historical novel for adults, Turbulent Threads, which will be published by Quentin Wilson Publishing next year.
Lastly, what are you reading right now?
I’m in the middle of Rings on Water by Madeleine Eskedahl. It’s a page-turning crime thriller set in Matakana, and it’s so great to read a novel set in New Zealand with such a wonderful sense of place.
