Author Jess Black joins us to introduce her new junior-fiction series, Kitty is Not a Cat!
What is Kitty is Not a Cat about?
Kitty is Not a Cat is a warmly funny junior-fiction series about Kitty, a little girl who believes she can be anything she dreams - even a cat. When Kitty arrives on the doorstep of a house full of music-mad felines, their lives are turned upside down as they attempt to teach her how to be human.
Do you have a specific routine when writing your books?
Not really. I do lots of reading and research before I begin writing. Once writing I find it hard to think about anything else. A book will consume me until it is finished!
What is the best thing about being a children’s author? What is the hardest?
Best thing is getting to create characters and worlds that I love to spend time in and then sharing those worlds with kids. The hardest thing is starting a new series and facing the unknown!
What did you enjoy reading as a kid?
I loved anything by Enid Blyton – Magic Faraway Tree, Famous Five and Secret Seven. I also loved mysteries – Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys. I loved horses and read every horse book that exists! Later, I read lots of fantasy.
When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
Writing came to me later in life. I wrote for Theatre and Television and all the time I was writing short stories and doing writing courses. I never imagined I’d get published! I knew from my early twenties, but it didn’t happen for me until my mid-thirties!
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We hope these questions help guide your book club discussion for this heartfelt novel. We’ve done our best to avoid spoilers, but don’t read these questions unless you’ve finished Margaret, Are You Leaving? – you don’t want to risk ruining any reveals!
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