DEBUT JOURNEYS Gaynor Andrews

 



For this month's Debut Journeys Robynn Hyde talks to Gaynor Andrews whose book Pandora and the Story Forge was published on 12 September 2024 by Rocket Bird Books. 


Where are you now and where did you write your book?

I live in the north east of Scotland, between the sea and the mountains, but I wrote Pandora and the Story Forge while I was teaching in a bilingual school in France.

What’s it all about? (Your book, that is!)

Pandora and the Story Forge is a rhyming picture book about the magic of words and the power of stories. Pandora lives in a magical land where beautiful words flutter and scurry around her. She takes them home and turns them into wonderful stories. But the thing about stories is that, once read, they magically unravel, ready to be gathered up again by a new generation of story forgers. 

Then the strangest thing happens. The magic unfurls.
A story, once read, shakes itself and uncurls.


Tell us about your route to publication.

I was responsible for English at my school in France and invited an author to visit. I’d done that many times before, but this time it struck me that the difference between me and the author standing in front of a hall of children, telling them about her writing journey, was that I’d given up writing when I left school and she’d persevered. 

I started writing stories again for the first time in many years. I found out all I could about the way the children’s book industry worked and began applying to agents. I kept careful records and when one rejection came in, I sent out a new batch of manuscripts straightaway. I signed up with my agent, Kate Scarborough of Tyilds Agency in June 2021, two years after I’d begun writing again. 

The writing journey is full of incredible highs and energy-sapping lows. We had rejections, lovely feedback followed by rejections, stories going to acquisitions and then rejections. I signed a contract with Rocket Bird Books in March 2022 and Pandora and the Story Forge was published in September 2024.

Cover of Pandora and the Story Forge
Cover of Pandora and the Story Forge


What do you do when you’re not writing?

I’ve taught in primary schools across England, in Thailand and in France, but I now work as an editor for a company that creates educational resources for schools. I’m also a keen gardener and help run a gardening design program called the Weatherstaff Planting Planner (spot the literary reference!)

What was the biggest bump in the road when it came to getting your book out into the world and how did you overcome it?

There seemed to be lots of bumps in the road but I’m not sure there were any bigger bumps or deeper potholes than on any route to getting a printed book in your hands. My manuscript was handed over with very few edits needed so there was nothing for me to do but wait. The illustration process was long and complex, as the illustrator, Marie-Alice Harel, does all her painting by hand, using watercolour, inks, pencils and, occasionally, gouache and pastels. 

There were long periods when I heard nothing – and convinced myself that the project had been dropped, but eventually I had confirmation that it was all systems go and we were racing towards the September publication date.

Any tips for budding writers hoping to follow in your footsteps?

The children’s book industry can be disheartening – so many great manuscripts vying for agents’ and publishers’ attention and for position on bookshop shelves. There will be far more rejections than acceptances. Someone will always appear to be more successful than you. Comparing your journey with someone else’s is totally pointless and can be poisonous. 

So, surround yourself with supportive friends and be prepared to take a break if you need to. Enjoy the writing process and celebrate every success. At the end of every year, make a list of your achievements (include every little thing, like being brave enough to enter a competition or contact an agent). It’s a great exercise in positivity and will be very useful to look back on when writing your own Debut Journeys interview!

What’s next for you?

Two of my poems featured in the Dirigible Balloon's second anthology, Sky Surfing: Excellent Adventures in a Poetry Balloon, which was published in December (edited by Jonathan Humble and profits to be donated to Juvenile Arthritis Research). 

I’m also looking forward to taking Pandora into schools, visiting libraries and bookshops, and making the most of my debut year!


*Header image: Ell Rose and Tita Berredo

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Photo of Gaynor Andrews


Gaynor Andrews is the author of children’s stories and poems. A former teacher, she has taught both in the UK and internationally and loves sharing the magic of books with children. She now lives in the Scottish Highlands, with her family and a crazy cocker spaniel.


Follow her on X/Twitter or Instagram


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Ell Rose is the Illustration Features Editor of Words & Pictures

Find their work at fourfooteleven.com

Follow them on Instagram and X/Twitter.

Contact them at: illustrators@britishscbwi.org 

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Tita Berredo is the Illustrator Coordinator of SCBWI British Isles and the Art Director of Words & Pictures


Contact her at: illuscoordinator@britishscbwi.org

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If you would like to feature in a future Debut Journeys, please email Robynn Hyde at robynn.marie.hyde@gmail.com or find her on X/Twitter, Bluesky or Instagram.

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