AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Aleesah Darlison
Today, amidst all the craziness that is our new life dealing with the coronavirus, I welcome Sunshine Coast children’s author Aleesah Darlison to my blog. Aleesah is an established, internationally-published author with more than 50 books to her name, including picture books, chapter books, and novels for children. She’s also busy doing a lot of author talks for schools in Queensland and beyond every year.
This month, Aleesah released the first two books in her fab, fun, fresh new chapter book series, published by Penguin Random House Australia. League of Llamas (LOL for short!) is a series that revolves around secret agent llamas - most of whom are rather inept - trying to foil the plots of baddies such as evil badger General Bottomburp and dastardly guinea pig Itchee Kneebone. Those names alone can clue you in to the kind of humour kids will giggle at in the books!
The books focus on mostly flawed characters with good hearts, and they make me think of TV show Get Smart, which I loved as a kid. (There are also elements - and parodies - of films like James Bond, Johnny English, Mission Impossible, Pink Panther, and Charlie’s Angels.) There’s agent 0011, Phillipe Llamar, who’s always busy looking at his luxurious fringe, or trying and failing to remember mission details. Then there’s his friend, Agent 0013, Lloyd Llamanator, whose appetite is constantly at the forefront of his mind, even during missions.
Into the mix we add Elloise Llamaresky, the effective, capable, Bond-like character - who may or may not be on the “right” side. You’ll have to read to find out!
Perfect for kids aged around seven to ten years, these humorous chapter books are full to the brim with puns, wordplay, action, mystery, adventure, grossness, banter, and gadgets. Kids can be on the lookout for mention of characters such as President Ollama, countries like Crowatia, Chickenlovakia, and Leechenstein, and artworks such as Llama with the Pearl Earring! And I can’t forget to mention my favourite, the black, sleek, ultra-cool Llamaborghini!
The stories are engaging and easy to read, with large text (parts of it bolded), short chapters, and funny black and white illustrations every few pages by artist Simon Greiner. These really help to bring the characters and zaniness to life further.
The characters in the books have to constantly deal with challenges but they do so with humour, friendship, and determination, which I think is perfect for young readers to see. Plus, throughout the stories readers also learn actual facts about the different animals.
If you’re looking for a new series to introduce your young children to right now, I think this is the perfect choice. Two more books in the series are due out later, too, so kids can countdown to that once they’ve read LOL’s first two outings.
Now, let’s find out more about the books and the process of writing them from the author extraordinaire herself, Aleesah.
Welcome, Aleesah. Firstly, I’m curious, how did you come up with the idea for League of Llamas? What was the inspiration behind it?
Being the bowerbird author that I am, and as with much of my writing for children, this one originated from my actual children … and some of their mates. It was a few years ago and my son, Riley, and one of his friends were obsessed with llamas. I’d taken a number of my kids (I have 4) and their friends out for a bushwalk and we all started talking about llamas and making up stories as we were walking along. The boys came up with a place called the ‘Llama Republic’.
This got me thinking about a country made up of llamas, that was shaped like a llama, and where there might be llama secret agents. The idea grew from there, the characters came to me quite clearly, and the stories soon followed. That’s how LOL, or League of Llamas, was born.
Did the story change much as you were writing the first book, from your initial idea?
Not really, the first story was quite clear to me and I made sure I planned the other stories in the series in advance so I had a path to follow. Occasionally, new ideas or characters would pop up and surprise me, but the essence of the stories and the three main llama secret agents – Phillipe, Lloyd and Elloise (you’ll notice all the double Ls) – stayed true. My llama secret agents made me giggle from the start, so I knew I had to stick with them through their adventures!
Who are the target readers for the series?
Kids and adults who like to laugh out loud! The books are 10000 words each, junior fiction, so best for ages 7 plus. In writing League of Llamas, I wanted to create something hilarious for kids – I wanted them to laugh out loud. Believe me, making kids laugh is better than making them cry. Laughter is a much nicer sound … anyway, I kept that in mind as I was writing and would constantly try to layer in more humour – funny puns and slapstick routines – to keep the laughs rolling.
I also hope I’ve layered in some more mature humour that adults will appreciate if they want to read the books with their children. Anyone who loves a good belly laugh will enjoy these books. They have illustrations dotted throughout by Simon Greiner which are bound to give readers a good giggle too. For instance, I bet you’ve never seen a llama as a cucumber before. If not, you’ll have to check out the books, and then your life will be complete!
What do you think are some of the key ingredients that make for a great junior fiction series?
The story and the characters have to be relatable to the child reader. So many authors miss the mark here and end up trying to lecture kids. But kids are smart, they get it.
Characters are key to the success of any story, whether it be a stand-alone or a series. We fall in love with heroes and despise villains. Characters keep us picking up book after book in a series. We see ourselves in characters and can live vicariously through them – facing all their dangers and enjoying all their successes – while existing in the safety of our own world. It’s like a VR game, only better!
What is your creative process like?
I’m usually struck by an idea or concept and I’ll start making notes, writing down snippets of story or facts. Then I start formally planning the story, mapping it out to hit all the key parts of the narrative.
When I’m ready to run, I write and write and write. Hours (or days, weeks, months) later, I edit my work many, many times, finessing it until it’s ready to submit to my publisher.
That’s it in a nutshell, although that goes nowhere near showing the true amount of time, energy, sweat, tears, pain, anguish, hope, joy, self-doubt and daydreaming (shall I go on?) that a polished story requires.
Do you have any creative rituals?
Nope, I’m not that fancy! LOL. There’s no magical formula or special process to how I write. It’s simply ‘applying the bum glue’ as Bryce Courtenay used to say and working long and hard to get a story as good as it can be before showing anyone.
What is the best investment you have made in your author career over the years?
Attending writing workshops, literary festivals and writing conferences to hear real, live, published authors teach you about the craft. There simply is no better way to learn because those authors have the ‘secret jam’. They’ve lived it. They ARE it.
What do you know now about being an author, creator, that you wish you had known earlier?
That you will constantly live in a state of hope. Always and forever. But, as George Berndard Shaw said, ‘He who has never hoped can never despair.’ Always look for the upside, that’s what authors must do!
Who are some of your greatest writing influences?
There are so many amazing authors who I look up to and whose work I appreciate, whose stories I wish I’d written. I’m often drawn to the authors whose work I read as a child and teenager and who shaped my reading and possibly therefore, my writing: Alexander Cordell, Jean M. Auel, Charles Dickens, C.S. Lewis, Jane Austen. I loved all the classics.
More lately, I read children’s and YA authors – anything and everything I can. Within the pages of a book, there are so many special moments – and words and thoughts – to savour.
What's next for you, as far as books go?
Besides the 4-book League of Llamas series with Penguin Random House, I also have three environmentally-focused picture books coming out in 2020 with an overseas publisher. That’s been an interesting and exciting project to work on and I’m looking forward to seeing how those books go in Hong Kong, China, and Japan. I’m hoping they might make it over to Australia too because they contain important messages.
I’m also working on a new picture book about an endangered Australian animal and in the early stages of getting together ideas for another junior fiction series that features a very cute animal. It’s animals all the way, really.
