Twinterview with Natasha Narayan

Children’s author Natasha Narayan, gets interviewed by twins Anna and George. Natasha talks about her experiences as a writer, how she got published and why she writes for children. She also talks about her most recent book The Mummy Snatcher of Memphis, which is published by “Quercus”: and is the first in her ‘Kit Salter’ series.

It was an absolute delight twinterviewing Natasha …she was very friendly and bubbly and didn’t even mind the fact that we asked her to sit on a pile of big books, so that George and I didn’t look like giants!

We really enjoyed hearing about what inspired Natasha to write children’s books and why she decided to base her stories in an historical setting. It appears that the bizarre goings on of the courts of the ancient world are a worthy match for anything that might appear in fantasy books! I’m not quite sure how we got on to talking about eunuchs but it was very amusing.

Natasha cites reading Simone de Beauvoir as a turning point for her as a writer, when she realised that writing well didn’t always come from strokes of genius, but often a lot of hard work and perseverence.

Kit Salter, a girl with attitude, (not unlike Natasha herself!) is the star of a new series of Victorian era adventures. Described as a cross between ‘Indiana Jones and Flashman’ these books will go to the furthest outposts of the British empire – and beyond. Kit and her gang of friends travel from the barren Egyptian desert to the icy peaks of the Himalayas – seizing every chance for mayhem and mischief that comes their way.

Natasha’s next book, ‘The Maharaja’s Monkey’ will be out in March 2009, also published by Quercus.