TALK: Rachel Lyon

#interview #author #picturebook 

Rachel Lyon is the author of I Wish I'd Been Born a Unicorn. She kindly spoke to Storyworld about the book, the secret to writing and inspiration

Tell me about I Wish I’d been born a Unicorn!

It’s a rhyming story about a scruffy horse named Mucky who has more fleas than friends. He thinks that he would be more popular if he was a Unicorn, so an owl offers to make his wish come true. With the help of other farmyard animals, he is made to look like a Unicorn, but by the end of the story he learns, as the clever owl tried to tell him from the start, that when it comes to true friendship, it’s what’s inside that counts.

 

Where did the idea for the book come from?

Because I like to write in rhyme I’m always looking out for rhyming phrases, and the initial phrase I came up with was ‘the horse with remorse’. I was then trying to thing of things that a horse might regret or feel sad about, and the idea of a horse with low self esteem who wished it was a unicorn began developing from there.

Did you trial it on any audiences before submitting you manuscript?

I read an early draft to a school group, which helped me to see which bits worked and which didn’t. That helped with the editing process a lot. I always show my stories to family and friends as I’m developing them, and I usually get honest opinions back which is helpful.

What is the experience of being published like?

If your like me, and writing’s all you’ve ever wanted to do - then that moment when a publisher calls and says they’re interested is the biggest thrill imaginable. It must be like crossing the line first in the Olympic Games. It can also be nerve-wracking when your book comes out - wondering whether people will like it or not. But that’s what keeps you working hard and trying to write the best book you can each time.

Which writers or artists are you most inspired by?

In children’s writing, Roald Dahl for his imagination and originality, and Julia Donaldson for her rhymes and storytelling. My main idol is Jane Austen, though. I’d love to write a historical romance.  

What’s the secret to writing a good picture book?

I don’t know, but if you find out let me in on it! Joking aside, I have learned that children like to laugh, they like to encounter the weird and wonderful, they like repetition and they like suspense. The Gruffalo, for instance, has all of those attributes in spades, which is why it’s so wonderful.   

Are you working on new anything at the moment?

I’m working on a raft of new ideas for the publisher and hopefully they’ll like one of them and another picture book will soon be born!

Thanks! I Wish I'd Been Born a Unicorn is out now from Maverick Books. You can contact Rachel on twitter @RachelSLyon , and through her website www.rachellyon.co.uk