The children I recently received an exciting information from Graffeg Publishing
To come up with some questions to ask Julia Rawlinson
The author of Edie’s favourite series of books
Fletcher and the Four Seasons
Every time we see a fox Edie calls out
It’s Fletcher
She loves the little fox and the wonderful world he lives in
Created by Julia and Tiphanie Beeke
Every year the children get a new ornament for the Christmas tree
And this year Edie chose a fox
Fletcher
If you are not familiar with the Fletcher stories
Here are some of our reviews of the books
Perfect for little ones
To foster a love of the natural world
And an understanding of the passing of the seasons
We adore the Fletcher stories
Published by Graffeg
And we loved coming up with questions to ask Julia
I have loved sharing her answers with the children
And now I am sharing them with you
Q & A with Julia Rawlinson
Where do you write your stories?
I think about ideas as I go about my day – walking into town, working in the garden – and jot them down wherever I can. When I’m mulling over ideas in peaceful moments, I’ll often curl on my bed with a mug of tea and a view over trees to fields beyond. But when I start pulling a story together, I’ll be at my desk, surrounded by books, piles of paper and the little furry finger puppets I use for photos.
Do you write on a computer or with pen and paper?
I usually start with pencil and paper – I have a notebook, but ideas usually end up on backs of envelopes and random scraps. I keep a sparkly mermaid pen by my bed which I use for writing notes when I’m snuggled there amongst piles of pillows. I move to my computer when I’m arranging the ideas into a story, as I do lots (and lots and lots) of shuffling and re-writing.
What is your writing process from idea to finished story?
I’ve already talked about this a bit – I mull over ideas while I’m doing other things and note down thoughts and phrases – often little snatches of dialogue will pop into my head. When I have a moment to myself, I escape to my desk with a mug of tea and my scraps of paper to see whether the idea has enough shape and heart to make a story. I’m not an organised ‘9-5 at my desk’ writer, more a ‘stories swirling in my head and occasionally sneaking off to write’ writer.
The more Fletcher stories I write, the more aware I am of what makes a story a Fletcher story. The first four books weren’t planned as a series and I just wrote what came to me, but in the pause between the first and second series I had time to reflect, and to read people’s heart-meltingly beautiful responses to our little fox cub. So now, as well as seeing whether I have the shape of a story, I’ll be thinking about kindness and friendship and nature and all the things Fletcher cares about. My first draft of Fletcher and the Rainbow was about looking for the end of the rainbow and discovering autumn colours along the way – it wasn’t until I realised Fletcher would be trying to save the rainbow that it found its heart and became about so much more.
For the new series of Fletcher stories, I’ll also bounce ideas off Fletcher’s wonderful illustrator Tiphanie Beeke – over the years we’ve become much more collaborative, bouncing story and illustration ideas off each other, so the books take shape between us. I talked to Tiphanie very early on about our night story, Fletcher and the Stars, as I was worried it would be hard to illustrate. I’m so happy Tiphanie was enthusiastic – she’s just starting the artwork and I can’t wait to see what colours she finds in the darkness.
When I have the shape of a story, I spend a long time playing with the words – I wrote poetry before I wrote picture books and I love the sound and rhythm of language. There will often be a phrase I can’t get quite right, so I’ll go back to trundling ideas in the back of my head as I do other things – I remember rearranging the last line of Fletcher and the Caterpillar as I worked in the mossy shade of the garden.
How long does it take to write each Fletcher story?
A long time from start to finish, as they take shape gradually alongside life. I love having three different worlds in my head – the real one, the one I’m creating, and the book I’m reading. I wrote Fletcher and the Rainbow and Fletcher and the Stars in lockdown, and it was wonderful having Fletcher’s wood to escape to.
Do you keep a diary?
Yes! I started when I was 13 and wrote it every day for years. Now I only write every now and then, but I have never dropped it completely. I love it as a way of capturing moments, pausing for contemplation, and remembering.
What are your top tips for young story writers?
I suspect this is what most writers say, but read! I loved books as a child and spent many happy hours at my local library, and many more wandering through other writers’ imaginations. Also, write – it doesn’t matter if it’s not perfect, you don’t have to show anyone, just enjoy playing with words and creating worlds.
What was your favourite book as a child?
It’s hard to pick just one, but I remember finding Hilda Boswell’s Treasury of Poetry utterly magical – both the poems and the illustrations – and it inspired me to write poems of my own.
If Fletcher was animated for television, who would you like to be his voice?
The American editions of the first three books have been animated! Katherine Kellgren is the narrator and she does a wonderful job.
Do you think of a particular place when writing the settings for Fletcher’s stories?
Fletcher’s wood is a mixture of the woods where I grew up and where I live now. I grew up near Richmond Park, a beautiful big deer park in London, and spent my childhood roaming its woods, climbing trees and watching rabbits. I now live in Warwickshire and love wandering through the local woods – I took my family on a late-night stumble through Crackley Woods when I was writing Fletcher and the Stars so I could listen to the wind in the trees.
Who, apart from Fletcher, is your favourite fictional character?
I can never decide on favourites, but I do have a soft spot for Winnie the Pooh and Piglet. I can’t choose between them – they need to be together.
Which of the Fletcher stories is your favourite?
Again, I struggle with favourites, but the first book, Fletcher and the Falling Leaves, is special for bringing Fletcher and Tiphanie Beeke into my life and inspiring so many wonderfully heart-warming responses. But I love Fletcher and the Rainbow too – it was the first Fletcher story I wrote when I returned to the character and it was magical slipping back into Fletcher’s world. Fletcher and the Rockpool, coming next summer, was inspired by idyllic childhood holidays on the North Norfolk coast, so that one will be special too. And now I feel guilty about the ones I haven’t mentioned…
Will you ever write a chapter book version of Fetcher’s adventures?
I don’t have plans for a chapter book – the lyrical language and Tiphanie Beeke’s artwork are so much part of Fletcher’s stories. Fletcher does have a diary on my website where I occasionally jot down Fletcher thoughts – it’s soothing looking at the world through the eyes of a kind-hearted-but-easily-confused fox cub.
Can you tell us more about Fletcher’s personality and is he based on a real child?
Fletcher’s kind, caring, a worrier and never gives up. I think there’s a lot of my childhood self there – I remember worrying about trees being hurt when other children were throwing sticks at conkers. My own children are in the mix too – the very first story was inspired by my son picking an autumn leaf off the pavement and asking me to fix it back onto its tree.
When did you first imagine Fletcher?
Nearly 20 years ago, when my son picked up that autumn leaf.
How did you choose his name?
The honest answer is I didn’t! Fletcher was originally Ferdie, which I chose to work with ‘falling leaves’ – I remember chatting to friends at a toddler group, running through names beginning with F. The American publisher changed it to Fletcher for their edition, and with the random luck of publishing, Ferdie’s publisher went out of business after a few years while Fletcher went from strength to strength. When Graffeg adopted the books in the UK we decided to keep things simple with just one name.
What would Fletcher get in his stocking at Christmas?
Oooo, good question. I think mostly food – tasty berries and maybe some Christmas cookies. And if you look closely at the Fletcher and the Snowflake Christmas illustrations, you’ll see the rabbits will be getting Christmas carrots!
Thanks so much for the lovely questions!
Oh I feel so emotional reading through these replies
It means the world to me that someone has taken the time to answer the children’s questions
And in such detail
My four children loved hearing the answers
Edie has just discovered Winnie the Pooh and has fallen in love with the stories
Bea has started keeping a journal
And we are all going to write or draw
What we think some of our favourite book characters
Might get in their Christmas stocking this year
Thank you so much Julia for the magical stories
And for inspiring my little bookworms
If you are looking for a book to give a child this Christmas
Do have a look at the Fletcher series
They are wonderful wonderful stories