Lauren St John

Kat Wolfe Investigates
Lauren St John

About Author

Lauren St John was born in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and lived on a private game reserve until she was 16. After moving to England as a young adult, she worked as a journalist for several years and spent ten years as a golf correspondent for The Sunday Times.

St John has written biographies of sporting heroes and Nashville Musicians - golf and country music being two of her obsessions. Her memoir of growing up during independence in Zimbabwe, Rainbow's End, was published in 2007.

She currently lives in London - but she dreams of living in St Ives!

In 2006 Lauren St John's debut children's novel, The White Giraffe, was published by Orion Children's Books. Set in Africa, Lauren captured the bond between Martine, an English orphan, and a fabled young white giraffe named Jemmy. Dolphin Song and The Last Leopard (published in paperback in May 2009) continued Martine's story, which concludes in The Elephant's Tale.

Working with the Born Free Foundation in 2009 for the launch of The Elephant's Tale was a life-changing moment for her: travelling to rescue Leopards from a failed zoo in Cyprus was an amazing experience and she has since set up and continues to fundraise for The Last Leopard fund, which aims to create a new wildlife sanctuary in South Africa.

Author link

www.laurenstjohn.com; www.facebook.com/pages/Lauren-St-John/120957211278399; Twitter @laurenstjohn

Interview

KAT WOLFE INVESTIGATES

MACMILLAN CHILDREN'S BOOKS

MAY 2018


KAT WOLFE INVESTIGATES is the first in a new series by bestselling author Lauren St John (The White Giraffe, Dead Man's Cove) that follows Kat, an animal-mad child with a penchant for investigation.

Kat is thrilled when her mum's new job takes them to live in a small town by the sea, where Kat takes on a part-time job as a pet-sitter. But when one of her clients mysteriously vanishes, Kat turns her skills to detective work to find out who, or what, is behind his disappearance. Adventure and danger follow!

We asked author LAUREN ST JOHN to tell us more about KAT WOLFE INVESTIGATES:


Q: Why did you decide to create a new young detective character and what is it about Kat Wolfe that draws you to her as a character?

A: I loved writing my Laura Marlin mystery series, but I was excited about the idea of creating new characters, in particular brave, independent girls who were smart and skilled and not afraid to go where even policemen feared to tread. I particularly loved the idea of a pet-sitter who would have access to areas other people would never see.


Q: You make Kat the daughter of a vet, would that have been your dream scenario as a child?

A: I was already in a dream scenario as a child, in that I lived on a farm and game reserve in Africa and had a pet giraffe, two warthogs, six cats, eight dogs and eight horses for company, but I did spend years dreaming of becoming a vet. It would have been lovely if I'd had a close relative who was a vet! An aunt, say.


Q: There's a lot in the story about animals but especially how to care for them. Is this something you particularly want to introduce to children through this series?

A: I haven't done that consciously, but I've had so many pets over the years and I believe so much in making them happy and looking after them as well as possible that if children learn from some of the techniques I know, I would love that.


Q: You draw on some of your own experiences in your writing about animals in trouble, but what is the most difficult animal / pet that you have looked after?

A: When I was ten, I briefly had a pet python who almost strangled me. She was rather challenging.


Q: In this story, Kat inadvertently gets involved with the army and MI5 - did you need to do much research into how they operate for this book?

A: As I journalist, I interviewed a couple of spies, and spent a few months corresponding with one of them for an investigation I was doing. I learned quite a bit about spies through that.


Q: What about the setting for this story, do you have a particular place in mind?

A: I've always been fascinated by the Jurassic Coast. It has such a rich history and Dorset is such a stunning place. As soon I came up with the plot, I knew that there was only one place I wanted to set it.


Q: How does writing a detective story differ from writing a straight adventure story?

A: Writing an adventure novel is just pure adrenalin-filled fun. If a mystery is to work well it needs atmosphere, suspense and, most importantly, a slow reveal of who knew what and when, and who did what and how.


Q: Will you be writing more adventures for Kat?

A: I'm writing the second book in the series, Kat Wolfe Takes the Case at the moment. It’ll be out in Spring 2019.


Q: Where do you write and what would be your dream 'writer's shed'?

A: I love writing In coffee shops but actually I mainly write in my study because I love being with my Bengal cat, Max. My dream writer's shed would overlook the sea or a field full of horses.


Q: Can you tell us what inspired you to set up the environmental campaign Authors4Oceans?

A: I came up with the idea for Authors4Oceans after I ordered a drink in a bookshop and it came with a plastic straw in it. It occurred to me that across the country, hundreds of bookshops dish out plastic of one type or another - straws, bags, cutlery, unrecyclable coffee cups and bottled water - every day.

On my own, there wasn't much I could do about it, but I thought that maybe an alliance of my author friends - people like Katherine Rundell, Abi Elphinstone, Liz Kessler, Piers Torday and Tom Moorhouse - might have a voice. And if we had a voice with bookshops, we'd also have one with publishers, festivals and, hopefully, our young (and old) readers. Authors4Oceans came out of that.

Q: What is the one biggest thing children can change in their own lives to help the oceans?

A: Take our pledge at www.authors4oceans.org

 


THE SECRET OF SUPERNATURAL CREEK:
LAURA MARLIN MYSTERIES (Book 5)

ORION CHILDREN'S BOOKS

AUGUST 2017


The scorpions, snakes and crocs of the Australian outback are the least of Laura Marlin's problems in this death-defying new adventure.

The latest book in the Laura Marlin series, which has previously won the Blue Peter Book Award, pits the young detective against some old adversaries and strange natural phenomena during a holiday in Australia.

We asked author LAUREN ST JOHN to tell us more about THE SECRET OF SUPERNATURAL CREEK:


Q: What brought you back to Laura Marlin to write another adventure for her?

A: For me, one of the joys of writing series is that my characters feel like friends. That's definitely the case with Laura. When I first came up with the idea for the series, I wanted very much to set one of the books in Australia. It's the perfect setting for adventure. I'm very happy it happened.

Q: Have you drawn on your own childhood to develop Laura as a character? Which of her characteristics remind you most of you?

A: I haven't drawn directly on my childhood in Africa, but the books I read growing up definitely influence me daily as a writer. I've always adored suspense and adventure in any form. None of my characters in any of my books are me but Laura in particular has characteristics I hugely admire. She's passionate about standing up against cruelty and injustice, she's a loyal friend, and she's endlessly curious.

Q: Who are your favourite fictional child detectives?

A: Growing up, I adored mysteries of all kinds. My favourite child detectives were Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, and George from the Famous Five. I also really loved Sherlock Holmes.


Q: Why did you decide to set Laura's latest adventure in Australia? You have mentioned you visited the area - which region had the biggest impact on you?

A: I've visited Australia many times over the years and I absolutely love it. Sydney, Melbourne and Byron Bay are probably my favourite places but the Northern Territory was brilliant too. Everything is larger than life - the landscape, the wildlife, the people. the history and legends. It was a fantastic place to set a mystery.

Q: You cover much about the environment in these books. Are there any ongoing environmental campaigns in Australia that you support?

A: Nina's Ark, the Northern Territory kangaroo and wallaby sanctuary I describe at the end of The Secret of Supernatural Creek, is an incredible charity. I'm also a passionate supporter of any charity fighting to save the Great Barrier Reef and prevent the decimation of sharks across the globe. One hundred million sharks are killed every year. Sometimes the selfishness and greed of humans really is beyond belief.

Q: There are a couple of quite frightening animal confrontations in this story. Which dangerous Australia creature would you least like to meet and have you seen many of these creatures in the wild?

A: I'm fascinated by snakes and used to keep pythons, but I have to say that Australian snakes - particularly the Eastern and Western Browns - really scare the life out of me. I went a boat tour to watch Australian saltwater crocs in the Northern Territory and that was both thrilling and chilling. They watch you in a way that makes it absolutely clear that you're prey.


Q: Why did you decide to give this story a supernatural element - and what has been your strangest 'unexplained' experience to date?

A: I'm extremely sensitive to atmospheres in houses. I've walked into rooms in old houses in Africa, the UK and, once, on a plantation in the US, where I've had an overwhelming sensation that there's a presence. It usually only happens in one room or one particular part of the house. I find it difficult to breathe and feel as if something heavy is standing on my chest. I felt that very strongly recently visiting Thomas Hardy's house in Dorset. I literally had to run from one of the rooms.

Q: You reference Aboriginal beliefs and Arts in your book, were there any Aboriginal beliefs or special places that stood out for you during your travels there?

A: I have the greatest possible respect for the culture, traditions and art of Indigenous Australians, and it was a privilege to spend time with the Jawoyn people of the Katherine Gorge. As someone who loves nature, I very much appreciate their relationship with what they call 'country.' There is no separation between them and the natural world.

Q: Laura hasn't entirely escaped the Straight A's, the villains Laura faced in earlier stories. Have you enjoyed revisiting these characters? Will we see more of them?

A: It's always great fun to write villains and the Straight As were no exception. If I ever write another Laura Marlin mystery, they might make an appearance.


Q: Do you have other Laura Marlin adventures planned? Can you tell us anything about the next Laura Marlin book / where it will be set, if so?

A: The Secret of Supernatural Creek is supposed to be the last book in the series, but I'd never say never.


Q: What are you writing at the moment?

A: I'm writing Kat Wolfe Investigates, the first in a new mystery series for Pan Macmillan. It'll be published in Spring 2017 and I'm hugely excited about it.

Q: Where is your favourite place to write? If you could have a six week break anywhere in the world to write, where would you go?

A: I love writing and being by the sea or in nature. I recently spent ten days writing in the Brecon Beacons in Wales and I adored it. If I could go anywhere, I'd probably go to somewhere peaceful and beautiful in New Zealand. I've always wanted to go there.


Q: What is your greatest passion?

A: Saving animals and protecting them from harm. It horrifies me that the Sixth Extinction is underway. More than anything, I'd like to do all that I can to help preserve wildlife and our incredible natural world for future generations.

Q: As a writer, is it important to you to encourage children to think in fresh ways about our environment and how we look after it?

A: Very much so. If it was up to me, Conservation would be on the curriculum. It's every bit as important as Maths, English and Science and it mystifies me that Government ministers can't see that. Our generation and those before it have been terrible stewards of the planet. If our children are to have a future, it's critical that we teach them how to be better, more responsible guardians of our beautiful world.


Q: For a special 'Author tips' section we're creating, what would be your top tips for children in exploring / espousing the environment through their writing?

A: I think that the best thing that any of us can do to help the environment, whether that's through exploring or writing about it, is be kind. Kindness will save the world.

THE GLORY

ORION CHILDREN'S BOOKS

MARCH 2015


Lauren St John's breathtaking new novel, The Glory, pits two teenagers against each other in an epic race across the American West.

Alex, a troubled teenager from the UK, and Will, desperate to win the prize money to pay for his dad's life-saving surgery, are both determined to win The Glory, a 1,200 mile race from Colorado to Oregon. They face many dangers as they traverse this vast, empty wilderness, not least of all their fellow competitors.

This sweeping story of courage, families and first love is for adventure-seekers and horse lovers alike.

We asked Lauren St John to answer the following questions for us:


Q: Did you, like your characters in The Glory, grow up surrounded by horses?

A: I was fortunate to have grown up on a farm and a game reserve in Zimbabwe. We had eight horses and it was such a special and magical thing for me, growing up like that. As much as I love living in London, I do miss horses so much and writing about them is a way to be close to them.


Q: Will readers who may not, like you, be passionate about horses still enjoy The Glory?

A: I don't think of it as a horse book, it's a bit of an epic adventure and a love story and I would love readers to feel a bit like I did when I wrote it, that they take the journey with Will and Alex and experience the space and beauty and thrill of the American West themselves.


Q: Why did you choose an American setting for The Glory?

A: I love wide open spaces and even having grown up in Africa, I have never experienced the sense of space as fully as I have in the US. I think being in that kind of environment is very healing, so it worked for my story.

I'm against the kind of American-style 'boot camp' that Alex gets sent to in The Glory, they are quite terrifying places and it's the wrong way to deal with a troubled teenager. But I also think it's healing for anyone, teenagers with problems or someone with depression, to experience what they call 'wilderness therapy', which is just being in this wide open space and this is what Alex gets to experience.

There's one scene in the book where Alex is struggling to get up a mountain but eventually, she and her horse do get to the top. When she sees the space and the mountains around her, it's a big turning point for her.

I also wanted an American setting because I'm fascinated by the history of American Indians and I wanted to incorporate a lot of American history in general into the story. The West is fascinating because there are so many parts of history that intersect in that place; the settlers, American Indians, the history of different animals including horses, the geology of the region - plus there's a whole lot of nothing!


Q: In your story the racers have to travel 1,200 miles across the US. Is that possible and have you made that journey yourself?

A: While I was writing the One Dollar Horse series I became fascinated by the idea of endurance racing, which I thought were long, over hundreds or a thousand miles, but I found out that the main endurance races are up to one hundred miles, because of horse welfare.

Over the centuries, though, people have ridden over thousands of miles, that's how civilisation began. I read this book about a man in the nineteenth century who claimed to have ridden fantastically long races, one of which was 1,800 miles which he said he did in a very short time. It couldn't have happened, but I wondered, what if a modern businessman read about this and wanted to do a similar race, and how would two teenagers cope if they were caught up in it?

Once I decided to go ahead with that idea, I researched the book by driving the route of the race, 1,800 miles starting in Denver Colorado along the route of the race to Hood River in Oregon. It meant I had to go to the US on the cusp of winter. I'd have loved to have gone in the sunshine but I wouldn't have got the feeling that they had really been through this when I wrote it.

The very first day we set out was quite terrifying because they forecast the early onset of winter which I found out as we headed off, and we had a nine hour stretch of driving ahead of us. I had decided that we should travel on the mountain passes, not on the main roads, to research the route for the story, but I had no idea how lonely it would be.

We found ourselves driving through a blizzard that was getting worse and worse and there was nobody else on the roads, it was so lonely and remote. We would literally drive for an hour and not see anyone, just the endless plain and roads, and then you'd spot a windswept, ancient cabin standing by itself and as you drew nearer you'd realise there was a light inside and that someone actually lived there!


Q: How did you research the riding conditions that your racers would have faced?

A: We broke our journey to spend four days on a ranch in Wyoming. This is a ranch that has 650,000 acres, it's bigger than many countries, and it's run by 20 people! There's nothing there, it was amazing.

While I was there, I rode a palomino mustang through the mountains and I totally fell in love with this horse; he was the inspiration for Scout, the main horse in The Glory. I discovered that mustangs are the most comfortable horses on earth, they have a very slow canter that is called a 'lope' and it's like riding an armchair.

I did a lot of research on horses and endurance riding. Originally I'd planned to use a 'Quarter Horse' for the story. If you ever watch horses in a rodeo, or cowboys riding horses and roping cattle, they will be riding a Quarter Horse. They're called that because they are very fast over a quarter of a mile, but because they have quite bulky muscle I found out that they wouldn't be any good in endurance racing.

It was a dream come true to be able to do the research I did and to ride a formerly wild mustang through the mountains. It was one of the most special things of my life; I still can't believe I get to write the books I get to write and have the adventures I get to have, it's wonderful.


Q: How easily do you relate to your characters when you're writing a book?

A: The Glory is focused on two characters, Will and Alex. Will was easier as I could see him very clearly and could relate to him. Alex is very different and was much harder to understand, although I could understand horses being the answer for her.

No matter what trouble you have, you can be very different with animals and I think animals are the saviour for a lot of kids in difficulties and nightmarish situations at home or who suffer from things like bullying. An animal, a horse or a dog, can save their life, they can be their best friend when they don't have someone else to relate to because animals are non-judgemental.


Q: Do you feel you have to be passionate about what you're writing for it work as a story?

A: I think whatever I'm writing I believe really strongly. If I don't feel what I'm writing, I can't expect the reader to feel anything. If you strongly engage with anything, even if you get a huge amount of joy from writing comic novels or you get a joy from something funny, or from sci-fi, if you really feel something then hopefully your reader will engage with it too. If you're just trying to write a dystopia novel because that's what selling now, then it might not work for you....


Q: Do you have other passions that you explore in your writing?

A: The best part of being a writer is that I have always been able to write about things I have really loved or been very passionate about. Because of my childhood, I can write about Africa in a positive way to support animals and the preservation of our environment.

After I wrote The White Giraffe I became an ambassador for the Born Free Foundation and now, as well as writing, I work closely with the Born Free Foundation. I've been on two rescues with them, one to rescue two leopards from a zoo in Cyprus and the other to rescue two dolphins from a place in Turkey. We have other projects in the pipeline. The roylaties for my books for early readers, Shumba's Big Adventure and a new book, Anthony Ant Saves the Day (both published by Orion), all go to Born Free.


Q: If you had one message for young people about the environment, what would it be?

A: It would be to do everything you can to make a difference, no matter how small; you can start with having a cake sale and raising funds for a charity like Born Free or adopt an animal from the RSPCA rather than going to a breeder, or just stop to stroke a cat on your way home - just be kind. If everyone was kind, the world would be so much better a place.


Q: What are you writing now and are you planning a sequel to The Glory?

A: Right now I'm finishing Operation Rhino, about relocating a rhino. I hadn't planned to write any more in the White Giraffe series but the poaching of rhinos is such a huge issue that I felt I had to write this one last thing. I'm also planning to write another adult novel soon.

The Glory was an amazing, wonderful book to write. I miss my characters and I'd like to meet them again although I don't think I'll be writing a sequel.


Q: Where do you do your writing?

A: I write at home in my study with Max my Bengal cat next to me, he's on a rug on my desk just now. I'm overlooked by this huge white giraffe that Orion had made when The White Giraffe came out and there are lots of horse pictures around.

There's plenty of procrastination takes place when I'm writing - too many visits to Twitter, and Max and I go for walks together around the neighbourhood. Plus I like cake. In between those things, I write.

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