Books have been a part of my life since I was a child, my parents encouraged me to read from a very young age and it stuck.
Now I have a child myself I found that I have done the same with her, from the fabric books she used to chew as a new baby to the big colourful storybooks she now loves.
So these days I find myself reading as much adult books as I do ‘Meg and Mog’ and ‘The Gruffalo.’
For that reason I thought it would make sense to speak to children’s book author – another world from what I write myself. As strange fate would have it – within weeks of my own book being published, a dear old school friend Hannah Murray, found herself published too. Her book The Wood Collecting Stag is a collection of 6 children’s stories, perfect for ages 3 and up, was based on characters he had created in her craft shop with wool and yarn. So I had a chat with her about how she created the world of Heidigurumi.
Tell us the basic premise of your book?
I’ve always had the stories of the characters in my shop. In my head. I usually am thinking about their personalities and ‘jobs’ when I’m actually making them. My Dad encouraged me to write the stories down. I’ve not had time before (I don’t have time now!!) But I knew I wasn’t getting any younger and I have a vision for Heidigurumi. One I want to leave as a legacy for my children. It’s up to me to try and bring that vision to a reality. I felt the time had come to really put my all into it and try to pull it all together. Books was the next step. Though it was a much bigger step than I anticipated. 1am finishes coupled with 5am starts over the last 2 months have taken their toll on me!
What inspired you to write the book?
Lots of things. But mainly I long for little children to hear the stories I have in my head, to fall asleep thinking of these funny characters going about their business. Just as we do with all our books as kids. The biggest inspiration for me author-wise would be Enid Blyton. I practically read everything by her as a child. The Faraway Tree, The Enchanted Forest, and as I got older, Famous Five, Secret Seven. All these books took me to exciting places.
Have you always wanted to write children’s fiction? Have you written in any other genre’s?
I’m quite childlike minded!! I give voices to animals whenever I see one (even dogs in the street!) My children think I’m bonkers. So in a word, no. I would not contemplate writing a different genre. I have too much stored up in my head to share with children for there to be room for anything else.
You also run an Etsy shop called Heidigurumi, what can you tell me about what you make and sell?
I opened Heidigurumi in November 2009. It’s evolved through the years really. The things I sell are woodland related. I make needle felted characters (a process of sculpting raw unspun wool into solid structures using a single barbed needle). These characters are usually one offs. They can take between a few evenings to a few weeks to make. They also have a character card with them. There is a hand drawn watercolour postcard with all their individual details on. I take custom orders too. As my collection of characters grew, so did the imaginary World they lived in in my head, Heidigurumi became the actual woodland they all lived in alongside each other. Which brought me onto the books I suppose.
I make other bits and pieces, like little crochet birds in hanging nests. They are quite funny. Just all handmade items I make during winter evenings! I’m not a ‘goer outerer’ at all. I’m home every single night. Making things. In fact I’ve had three evenings out in the last three years!
What are you working on next?
Next in the pipeline is a book for another character in my shop. Stargazing Badger. He is hilarious. An old badger that spends a lot of time on Stargazer Hill (see map above) he has a notebook he draws the constellations in. He has stories to be told and they are ready, though they are not on paper yet! I’m hoping to have this out by Christmas. It’s the illustrations that take more of the time. Wood Collecting Stag had over 70 hand drawn, watercolour painted pictures (which you can’t see in the paperback but they are all colour painted) and that took forever!! So it’s a daunting prospect to do similar before Christmas for S.Badger. But I’m better under pressure. All the children out there are my motivation.
Buy ‘The Wood Collecting Stag’ on Amazon
All Characters and Images ©2009-2017 Hannah L Murray
Anne-Marie Ormsby 