Natasha has been a children’s writer for a long time, and awards such as the Costa weren’t always on the cards. You might be interested in her answer to my question about when she felt ‘safe’ as a writer – I wasn’t surprised at all. 

 

We met through her job as a book scout for my first publisher, Chicken House. Listen to my lockdown brain failing to grapple with what exactly scouts do, despite the fact that I have first-hand experience of it. 

 

Back to the writing, she describes taking an editor’s advice about what to write next after a difficult moment in her career, and what happened when the pressure was off to write a better a book. I love her suggestions of the books she goes to when she needs inspiration. A couple are already on my list.

Links: 

Natasha's website: https://www.natashafarrant.com 
Costa book awards: https://www.costa.co.uk/behind-the-beans/costa-book-awards/book-awards 
Faber: https://www.faber.co.uk 
The Science of Storytelling by William Store: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-science-of-storytelling-why-stories-make-us-human-and-how-to-tell-them-better/9780008276973 
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe-pocket-edition/9780007586325 
What Ho, the Best of PG Wodehouse: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/what-ho-the-best-of-wodehouse/9780099551287 
Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/journey-to-the-river-sea/9781529066197 
The Greengage Summer by Rumer Golden: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-greengage-summer/9781447211013