A Word With Cate Douglas

BY Julia Thum | 0 Comment(s)

A big round of applause and an enthusiastic tail wag for author Cate Douglas, creator of Poppy's Tail, who has kindly agreed to come on the site today. Cate and I have never met, but I have a

feeling we will one day and that we will get on rather well. We have exchanged emails about everything from which is our favourite of Poppy's tails (read my review on The Bookshelfto find out mine!) to learning our way around Twitter and Instagram. A huge welcome Cate. Please could you start by telling us little more about yourself?

Q. IF YOU COULD ACQUIRE ANY TALENT, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

A. To play the piano effortlessly.

Q. WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE FICTIONAL HERO?

A. Sydney Carton—that "far, far better thing".

Q. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE OCCUPATION, WHEN YOU'RE NOT WRITING?

A. Yoga, for a flexible body and a flexible mind!

Q. WHAT'S YOUR FANTASY PROFESSION?

A. Private Investigator, which my daughter finds hilarious.

Q. IF YOU COULD EAT ONLY ONE THING FOR THE REST OF YOUR DAYS, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

A. Chicken and vegetable soup, tasty and wholesome.

Q. WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE CHILDREN'S AUTHORS?

Shirley Hughes, Judith Kerr, Mollie Clarke.

Q. IS THERE A BOOK YOU LOVE TO REREAD?

A. 'The Wind on the Moon' by Eric Linklater, which I loved as a child and still think of whenever the moon is veiled by cloud.

Q. DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR YOUNG WRITERS & STORYTELLERS?

A. Write from the heart, have confidence, be a little zany, and never give up.

There's a review of Poppy's Tail over on the Bookshelf for Younger Readers, but before you go Cate could you tell us a little about the story in your own words?

Poppy dreams it would be fun to have a tail! But which kind will she choose? She tries out many different animal tails, then invents her own and finds lots of amusing and original ways to use it. With vibrant illustrations and light-hearted rhyme, Poppy's Tail is a playful and engaging picture book, designed to captivate a young child's imagination and entertain the reader. Age range 3-5 years.

Thank you very much for answering our questions today - they were sent in by some of my wonderful Instagram followers so many thanks to them as well.

You can find Cate and keep ups with Poppy's adventures on:-

www.facebook.com/poppystailchildrensbook

www.twitter.com/catedouglasauth

www.bobbunbooks.com