Interview with Stella-Rose Benson, author of the Sparkle Puss series
Tell us about Sparkle Puss: The Search for the Jaguar Bean Set in Cornwall & South America it has a low key environmental message. In this second story of the ‘Sparkle Puss’ series, we see Sparkle Puss, Myrrh the Abbey cat, the local fisherman and the Jewellery Maker, set sail to Bolivia in search of a new and rare bean for the chocolate maker Mr Side-Whiskers. On their journey through the Bolivian rainforest, they meet and are helped by Onca and Ara, two beautiful, yet endangered species in the rainforest… What genre is it? What kind of readers will it appeal to? Tell us a bit about Sparkle Puss. I have always enjoyed writing about my daily observations especially when travelling. In 2006 I acquired a kitten. I always wanted two kittens that I could call either Galaxy & Mars or Frankincense & Myrrh. I named the kitten Frankincense and abbreviated it to Insie. Insie is a striking cat and with her amusing and intelligent nature, I was soon inspired to draw and write about her. I initially started e-mailing one of my sisters, Susie, keeping her updated with ‘the Insie antics’. With the drawings developing and the Insie antics growing, it seemed to be a natural progression to put it into a story. I make jewellery using glitter and rhinestones and became aware that Insie started to sparkle with the glitter that she inadvertently picked up in her fur. In 2007 the story of ‘Sparkle Puss’ began. My illustrations feature many well know local landmarks and the reader is taken on a journey In the ‘Sparkle Puss’ series I have wanted to keep a low key environmental message running through them. She is a magical cat, with a conscience! How long did the book take to write and illustrate? What was the most challenging part of your creative process? Tell us a bit about yourself. In 2003 I returned to college, first Horticulture, followed by Complementary Health Therapies. The Horticulture course incorporated my other passions outside of art including; organic production, ethnobotany and rainforests. I also make jewellery using glitter and rhinestones. The Snowman has been on TV every Christmas for the past 30 years. How does it feel that people might be watching your work in 2042? Have you got a blog where readers can keep up with your work? Where can we buy your book? What’s next?
*** Enjoyed this interview? Then check out our conversation with Angela Muse. |
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