This week our featured author is Ian Slatter. He’s relatively new to the Middle Grade world, but he can write a great book! Let’s get on to the interview.

What made you decide to become an author?
I’ve wanted to write for almost as long as I can remember. I started writing short stories when I was in school and university, then wrote news stories for a spoof news website and comedy sketches for TV and radio. I really wanted to write books though, and started off with a couple of non-fiction books about sport, before completing and publishing Eco Worrier, my first novel. I’ve had ideas for novels for years, and have notebooks full of plot outlines, but this is the first time I’ve managed to convert one into a fully completed novel.

What made you want to write middle grade?
Reading is massively important for kids of all ages, but it’s when you reach the age of 9, 10 and 11 that you start to get a feel for what sort of stories you like to read, whether it’s comedy, adventure, sci-fi or anything. I remember loving the books that I read when I was that age, and to think that books that I’ve written might be enjoyed anywhere near as much as I enjoyed the work of Roald Dahl, CS Lewis, Norton Juster etc is pretty cool.

I also think that middle grade is the perfect length for my writing style. I like to be quite concise, so telling a story in 35-45,000 words is just right for me.

If Hagrid and Mrs. Oleary (the Hell hound from Percy Jackson and the Olympians) were in a hot dog eating contest, who would win?
I’m not sure Hagrid would be particularly fond of hot dogs, so my money would be on Mrs O’Leary.
Now if it was pizza it might be a different story!

Are you working on any new books right now? If so, what is it called, and what’s it about?
I have plot outlines for a couple of sequels to Eco Worrier, but first I’m writing a book about a young football fan who thinks he’s found a way to make sure his favourite team always wins. It’s in the early stages and I’ve yet to think of a good title for it, but I’m hoping to finish it over the next few months ready for publication early next year.

What other books have you written?
As I mentioned earlier, I’ve written a couple of non-fiction books, both aimed at adults. The first is called Premier League Legends, featuring the ten best (in my opinion) players in the history of the English Premier League. The second is called Incredible Moments in Sport, which is all about the 101 greatest moments in sporting history (again in my humble opinion), and includes sporting greats like Muhammad Ali, Jesse Owens and Tiger Woods, and massive events like the Olympics, FIFA World Cup and Wimbledon.

If you could be any kind of donut, what would you be?
I think I would be a chocolate custard donut. Why? Probably just because that’s my favourite, and if I’m going to be donut I’m going to be THE tastiest one out there!
Does that mean, I want to eat myself though? Is that weird? Oh well.

What book are you reading right now?
At the moment I’m reading The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams. It’s one of those books that I’ve meant to read for as long as I can remember but for some reason never have. I’d heard all about it, and knew that it’s an absolute classic amongst sci-fi fans, and I’d seen the movie, but I’d never read it. I can see why so many people love it though – I’d definitely recommend it.

The last middle grade book I read was The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster. I had read that one before, but not for a long time. It’s still a classic, and I can see exactly why I enjoyed it when I was younger.

Where can we find out more about you and your books?
Check out my website – ianslatter.com