What was it like working with an illustrator?
From the moment I picked up that stone age flint flake in my garden, I knew I had to write about a stone age child. Zeta formed in my mind very quickly. The next thing I knew was that this story needed some illustrations. We all like pictures, and especially for subjects we know little about. It was a great stroke of luck that I heard about a young illustrator called Amy Groves. I spoke to her on Zoom and immediately I knew that she 'got' it - I wouldn't need to tell her much. She understood what I was trying to do. The other thing I knew from the beginning, was that a story like this needs a map. I sent Amy a very simple map and she came back to me with it brought to life, with all the relevant details. I also wanted children to see some of the objects and animals from that period, so I gave Amy a list and she understood immediately. I didn't need to change anything. It seemed to me that the biggest challenge would be the book cover. We all know that an arresting book cover is very important - and in a book with the intention of educating as well as entertaining, I knew it had to be just how my readers would see the two children - Zeta and Finn. Amy and I went over every detail of their bodies and their clothes, and again, Amy understood what I wanted and her initial drawing needed hardly any adjustment. It was great working with her - a new experience for me. I'd certainly like to do so again when I've finished editing the next story I've written about Zeta and Finn's adventures - Stone Warriors.