Children’s book author Becci Murray has a knack for making kids laugh. Her best-selling Granny picture book series that includes Granny Dropped Her Chompers Down the Toilet and Granny Got A Sprout Stuck Up her Sneezer has made its way into the homes of families across the globe. Her newest release, Gerald Wants to Wear Pink, celebrates how wonderful it is to be different. But the journey to publishing her first book wasn’t quick. Murray said it took 15 years before she decided to release her debut chapter book Billy’s Brain Booster Juice through Llama House Children’s Books. After that came a series of six StoryQuest books where kids can choose their adventure. And if you’re not familiar with the phrase “stay out of the ruin,” then you haven’t met Azalea Fern, the main character in Murray’s newest middle-grade book Azalea Fern and the Last Ruin of the Extinct. When Murray isn't writing, you might find her at home in the city of Gloucestershire in England spending time with her teenage daughter, chocolate Labrador, a big-footed cat and her giant snail.          

 

I chatted with Becci to ask eleven questions that will give you an inside look at the author behind the books.

 

1.  How would you describe yourself in five words?

​

Friendly, caring, creative, quietly quirky.

​

2.  Do you have any advice for writers who write stories with humour?

​

As a mother, I know children’s stories that appeal to both young readers and adults alike are the ones that get read the most at home. Sharing and enjoying books together is such an important part of family life, so I always try to make my writing fun for parents as well as children.

​

3.  What is one mistake you made early on in your writing/publishing journey that you learned from?

​

I learnt very quickly that covers are SO important to the success of a book. Of course, we should never judge a book by its cover, but we all do it. My first cover was pretty shocking, but over the last three years I’ve learnt so much about cover design and illustration. I honestly never thought I would be illustrating my own covers, let alone my own picture books, but now I enjoy it almost as much as writing.

 

4.  What is the most rewarding thing about being a writer?

​

This is an easy one. By far the most rewarding thing about my writing journey so far is being part of the independent author community. Everyone is so supportive of each other and I’ve formed the most amazing friendships with other authors from all over the world. We celebrate each other’s successes and we commiserate with one another when the unavoidable pitfalls happen. Without the encouragement of these wonderful humans, my writing adventure wouldn’t be half as much fun as it currently is. 

 

5.  What is the most challenging thing about being a writer?

​

How long have you got? I could literally write a book about all the challenges I’ve faced over the last three years as an author and the vast majority of them aren’t related to the actual process of writing of a book! When I first started publishing, I had no clue how much more work would be required once I’d completed a manuscript: from editing, formatting, cover-creation, marketing (that’s a BIG one), getting your book into physical stores, designing and maintaining a website… The list goes on! Probably the biggest overall challenge though is competing with traditionally published books without having a team of people to help with everything the publishing process entails and without having the funds to promote a book as much as I’d like.

​

6.  Where is your favorite place to write?

 

I love writing in my car. It’s like my own little office where no-one will disturb me. My favourite place to park when I’m writing is the supermarket carpark (I kid you not). It hasn’t got the prettiest view, but there are snacks, drinks and toilets aplenty, so what’s not to like?

​

7.  What is your most memorable experience so far as an author?

​

When I wrote Granny Got a Sprout Stuck Up Her Sneezer, I was really just writing it for fun. I enjoy writing poetry and I’d just finished a meatier middle-grade novel, Azalea Fern and the Last Ruin of the Extinct, so I wanted to do something more light-hearted. It was also the first time I’d illustrated a picture book, so I didn’t expect for it to be particularly successful. But Granny and her sprout climbed the Amazon book charts last Christmas and it quickly became a best-seller in children’s fiction. That feeling of finally being up there with the traditionally published books was incredible and it’s definitely my most memorable experience as an author to date.

​

8.  If you could invite any author to your house for a dinner party, who would it be?

​

I don’t even have to think about this - it would be Roald Dahl. We’d eat giant peaches and Wonka Bars, then wash it all down with some delumptious Frobscottle!

 

9.  You used to do a lot of script writing. Do you still write scripts?

​

I’ve done lots of script writing before, but not for a few years now. I started out writing scripts for a children’s theatre company and I have quite a musical background, so I used to write the songs and music for those plays too. I then began entering my scripts into a new writers’ project called BBC Writersroom, where I had some fantastic feedback on my work and ended up doing some ad hoc comedy sketch-writing for a Children’s BBC programme called "Class Dismissed."

​

10.  How is the writing process different for writing books vs scripts?

 

There’s a lot less descriptive writing in scripts, although the visual aspect of the play or show obviously needs to be put down on paper too, so with scripts I tend to write purely the speech first of all and then fill in the descriptive elements in a second draft. I find the narrative flows better this way.

​

11.  What are you working on now?

​

I’m currently working on my third Granny book and I’m planning to publish it within the next couple of months. I’m hoping all the wonderful grannies out there will enjoy reading it with their grandchildren as much as they enjoyed Granny Got a Sprout Stuck Up Her Sneezer.

​

For more information about Becci's books, visit https://llamahousebooks.com.  

Connect with her on Instagram @becci_murray_author

On Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/beccimurray.childrensauthor  

 

​

​

​

​