DEBUT JOURNEYS James Davis
Where are you now and where did you write your book?
I am in my loft and this is exactly the same spot I wrote Scarlet: Defender of the Universe. It’s a very nice place to be when the sun is shining and cold and grim in the depths of winter. I sometimes think about taking my work into a cosy coffee shop, but I would feel too self-conscious and distracted.
What’s it all about? (Your book, that is!)
Scarlet enters a competition in the Beano to be Defender of the Universe. She has no idea that it will turn out to be real and a floating boy will turn up at her window and whisk her away into an immediate crisis to save Earth from destruction by slimy, cheese smelling, hot chocolate obsessed aliens! Expect zany space adventure, lots and lots of laughs and plenty of heart!
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| Illustrated by Dotty Sutton |
Tell us about your route to publication.
I found my lovely agent Becky Bagnell (Lindsay Literary Agency) quite quickly. We jumped on a zoom call and got on very well. We worked on some changes together before Scarlet went on submission to publishers. Refusals tend to come back the quickest, so it’s easy to become disheartened early on. I’d all but given up by the time the offers came in. It felt very serendipitous when two editors, both called Tom, both from big five publishers, came back with an offer on the same day! We went to auction that week.
What do you do when you’re not writing?
I love five aside football and am already beginning to lament the time in the future when I’m too old to play. I like picnics in the sunshine. Listening to podcasts in the gym. Trying new restaurants with family and friends. City breaks in the UK. Not many people think to take city breaks in the UK, but it’s a brilliant thing to do. It also helps you reappreciate your own neighbourhood – imagine if we found this little restaurant/cosy pub/cute coffee shop in a different city. Let’s not take it for granted just because it’s around the corner.
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?
I think I had it pretty easy compared to most, given that my first attempt at a middle grade book was published. Getting Pom-Pom (the most adorable alien) on the front cover was touch-and-go. Firstly, she was removed. Then they changed her to blue so she was more visible, which horrified me. Only once the final finished book was in my hand did I realise she’d made it. As a debut author you feel like you must be amenable, but sometimes your artistic integrity means more – Pom-Pom must be pink! And when the merch comes out, millions of children around the world will thank me.
Any tips for budding writers hoping to follow in your footsteps?
Find readers and get feedback. If you know someone in the age range your book is aimed at, then their feedback will be surprisingly useful. If you don’t feel like writing, do it anyway. As Flannery O’Connor succinctly puts it – not writing is a good deal worse than writing. Almost every writer feels inadequate most of the time. Whether published or unpublished, paid or unpaid, the job of writing remains the same.
What surprised you most about your launch?
That nothing happens. Publication day is like pulling a party popper that’s broken. The fabulous people at HarperCollins made it feel special, but there’s no noticeable change in the world. What’s also surprising is that bookshops, even the chains, work independently. One bookshop might have your book on a recommended table in the middle of the shop, another might only have a single copy, hidden away in completely the wrong section.
What’s next for you?
The second instalment of Scarlet: Defender of the Universe will be out at the end of this year or early next year. I would be very happy to continue writing the series if I get the opportunity. I’ve got so many ideas for Scarlet. At the moment though, I’m writing a completely different middle grade book, but I can’t give away any details I’m afraid.
*Header image: Ell Rose and Tita Berredo
*Other images courtesy of James Davis
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James Davis lives in Manchester with his two favourite humans: the one he married and the one that popped out of that one. He likes sprinting after balls, waterslides and other people’s dogs. He has been known to perform stand-up comedy, but not very well known. He took his A-level Art when he was eleven years old. And failed it. Sometimes he misses having hair.
Follow him on Instagram, X/Twitter, or at his website: jamesdavisauthor.com
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