Can you share with readers a little bit about your latest book? 

My new book is The Bobbling and Bat Island. It is a fun story about Bobbling going on an adventure to meet some bats that make jam. It is a great autumnal, cosey read, that should have you giggling.  

What made you decide to sit down and actually start writing this book?

This story I had been toying with for quite a while, it has been changed and rewritten quite a lot over the years. I finally started it as my book project last year and I am pleased with its outcome, it looks how I wished it to turn out. 

The story is unique and quirky, it is very fun and whimsical.  

Tell us more about your main character. What inspired you to develop this character?

The Bobbling is a fun, adventurous and brave character/ poodle for children. Over the last few books, I have developed the story to have some more permanent characters for Bobbling to bounce off which has worked well. He is very kind and thoughtful and tries to do the right thing. What a main character for this kind of story should be: he is the kind of character that I can put in any story or adventure. That is what I love about him. 

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

For me, the best part of building a book is the illustration. I really love painting and that is what these books enable me to do. They are all hand painted; no digital painting is involved. I love that I get to create pictures with these fun and energetic stories and situations.  

What inspires you to write? 

It is usually a concept or an idea. Take my first book, The Bobbling and the Flood. I wanted to do a book that had rain in it. The flood then evolved from this idea of wanting to depict rain. In another book, The Bobbling and The Dragon, I wanted to draw dragons so the story was constructed around that. I had my starting point and then started to think about ideas with a dragon and the story was then created. 

Why did you choose to write in your particular field or genre?

I write for children because it is way more fun than having to write and present to adults. There is still the excitement and magic of a story; the impossible is possible. Fairytales are wonderful things; you can be transported to somewhere else, and it is pure and innocent and there is so much hope.

Are you a full-time or part-time writer and how does that affect your writing?

I am very much a part-time writer and illustrator and have always been open about that. I have also been open about the fact that I do not sit and write and draw in all my free time. I do not think that would necessarily produce the best results either. You need variety! 
It is very easy to get stuck in a rut when trying to create a story. You may have an idea and be stuck on it. Not all ideas are good ones. 

I find that it is when you are doing other things that inspiration comes to you. It triggers ideas.

How do you feel about indie/alternative vs. traditional publishing?

This is a huge topic!  Everyone wants to be traditionally published and would jump at the opportunity if it came about. I think that with traditional publishing your work reaches more of an audience and you have a team helping you.

Indie publishing is good for other reasons. It gives you more control with your work. How it is finally presented is all down to you.  It also gives a voice to many people who would not normally get a chance to be published. It gets more stories out there which can only be a good thing.  

What is your next project? 

I am working on another Bobbling book; it is a series and I really enjoy working with these characters. I have now built The Bobbling into a world with the Enchanted Forest and adventures happening within this world. It is something I have been crafting for a while and now I have this world I am continuing to work on stories within it. 

What role does research play in your writing?             

Research for me is more hunting for inspiration. So yes, it is important and the more you start writing and illustrating the more you realize it is an important thing to do. I am dealing with fairytales and adventures so my research is slightly different. For this book, I have bats in it, so I did research into the different types of bats so I could put together a nice face for the character. 

Obviously, my bat is based on fruit bats which is why I came up with the idea of them making jam.  

Want to learn more about Inger Brown?

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