Meet Wendy Goucher, author of Eesha and the Mud Monster Mystery

Where did the inspiration from your book come from?

I had already written 3 books in the ‘Nettie in Cyberland ‘series for younger children (4-6 years old) and visited various schools to tell the stories and to talk with children, staff and parents.  One of the teachers asked me if I would write a book for the upper end of primary school as there wasn’t a good cyber story book for children of that age – so I did as I was asked, and Eesha and the Mud Monster Mystery was the result.

 

What is your favourite childhood book, that most influenced you as a writer?

My favourite childhood book is probably ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ because I loved the rhythm of the story.  It is also my children’s favourite book.  However, I don’t think that my style is influenced by that or my other favourite books which were the AA Milne poetry books – I remember being very impatient to be 6 so I could get ‘When we are Six’. 

In my writing I was probably most influenced by the author Jean Plaidy who wrote historical fiction.  I read these from aged 8 or so.  The way she created characters that I was drawn towards so much that I don’t think I knew I was learning history in the first few years.  It was magical.

 

Have you always wanted to be a writer? My Mum, as she told us not long before she died, always wanted to be a writer, but didn’t get the chance.  As a child at secondary school I was quite lonely, many of my best friends weren’t at my school so at break times if I didn’t have some sort of music practice I would sit and write little stories in notebooks my dad acquired from work.  Much later as a lecturer in management I loved writing worksheets explaining concepts in management and economics, always aiming to be in a more relaxed and approachable style than the books.  I now realise that was being a writer, but I didn’t realise then.

 

How long did it take you to write your book?  Actually writing Eesha took about 6 weeks, although I was planning it in the back of my head for longer.  By the time I start to write I have been chewing over ideas, and probably boring my family by running thoughts past them for several months., The longest time is taken with the design, illustration and printing of the books.  That makes it over a year from first words to physical book.

 

What is the most challenging thing about writing?  Because I am writing about cyber safety for me the hardest part is telling a story that is about something that is very distressing to the reader, in this case bullying, and making it something that doesn’t upset them, but acknowledges their pain. Then have a mitigation that makes sense and, most of all helps. 

 

What do you hope young readers take away with them after reading your book? I want those reading this book to feel a little bit less vulnerable and alone in the cyber world.