MEET THE AUTHOR
Nadia L King was born in Dublin, Ireland and now calls Australia home. Nadia writes for children and adults. She believes in the power of stories and that stories can change the world for the better. When she was a little girl, Nadia rode an ostrich. When she was older, she rode a camel. One day she hopes to ride an elephant! Nadia is currently a postgraduate student in English and Creative writing. She lives in Western Australia with her family, two tabby cats, a beautiful black Labrador and a vast (and growing) collection of books. The Lost Smile (illustrated by Nelli Aghekyan) is her third book.
From the publisher:
When Zaytoon wakes up sad, she goes on a search to find her smile. From the kitchen to the garden, Zaytoon searches high and low. Themes of cultural diversity, emotional intelligence, family life and the importance of connecting with nature and animals make this a perfect book for our times.
On with the questions!
Finding the best name for characters in a story can be challenging. How do you choose names for your characters?
Choosing names for characters is HARD. One of my favourite places to visit is the local cemetery (I know that sounds creepy!), and I like to read inscriptions on the tombstones. Sometimes they give me ideas for naming characters and I write names from tombstones down in my little book which I carry everywhere with me.
Did you meet/talk to the illustrator of The Lost Smile while it was being illustrated?
The illustrator of The Lost Smile is an artist called Nelli Aghekyan who lives in a country called Armenia. It’s very far away from Australia, about 12,000 kilometres away. Nelli and I spent a lot of time emailing and chatting about the illustrations for The Lost Smile and consequently, became friends.
The Lost Smile deals with themes about sadness and emotional intelligence. What are your ‘go-to’ activities if you’re feeling sad?
I don’t like being sad but I know that feeling sad won’t last forever. These are some of the things I do to help make me feel happier:
- Have a cup of tea and a nice biscuit;
- Go outside for a walk;
- Look at the plants in my garden and sniff the flowers. I love smelling flowers.
- Have a cuddle with my cats (if they let me), or with my dog Pippa who always lets me cuddle her.
- Read a book. I love reading.
Do you have a tip for young writers who’d like to write a picture book?
If you want to write a picture book, first you need to find ideas. Not just one idea, but a few because each story needs a few ideas. Think about a beginning and then think about an ending. In the middle, think about what could go wrong, what challenges and obstacles could your hero face? Congratulations, you’ve just mapped out a three-act story, well done!
Can you tell us a bit about your next writing project?
I’m very excited about my next writing project which is a short YA novel being published later in 2021 (somewhere around August). The book is called Can the Real JR Stand Up, Please? and my favourite character in the book is a yoga-loving, talking dog called Baba Ami (I didn’t see that name in the cemetery. I made it up after researching Indian gurus on Google!). I can’t wait for Can the Real JR Stand Up, Please? to become a real book because it took me a very long time to write.
Awesome extras:
It was 8 pm. Attack time! In the morning, they just made noise, but at night they come to terrorize the house or anybody who dared to come too close. As we drove into the driveway, the cicadas bounced off the muddy CRV. We were trapped; there was no escape. If we got out, they would swarm. None of us were brave enough for them. We spent a half-hour trying to figure it out. Then, my dad got impatient and fled, slamming the car door. Approaching the house’s side door, he fumbled with the key in the inky darkness but couldn’t place the key in the lock. My sister shined the light from her phone to help. BIG MISTAKE! The cicadas were attracted to light and instantly made my dad their target. He screamed in terror as they attacked him. Pulling the door open, he lunged in and then closed it, leaving us still trapped in the car. We debated for another half hour on what to do. Then, a light flickered on outside at the other side of the house. We waited, hoping the cicadas would be attracted to it. Then it flickered off and was replaced by a light right where we were.
Beneath the Trees by Cristy Burne, illustrated by Amanda Burnett, Fremantle Press, ISBN 9781760990411
The Tree by Graeme Base, Penguin Books Australia, ISBN 9781760897048
Tricky Nick by Nicholas J Johnson, Pan Macmillan Australia, ISBN 9781760787363
Cristy Burne writes fiction and nonfiction and her books are bursting with adventure, friendship, family, nature, science and technology. Cristy has worked as a science communicator for nearly 20 years across six countries. She has been a science circus performer, garbage analyst, museum writer, and atom-smashing reporter at CERN, but her all-time favourite job is working with kids to embrace the intersection between science, technology and creativity.
Yes, and I loved it! In 2019 my family travelled across Australia to see platypus in the wild, just like in the book. In fact, that’s the whole reason Beneath The Trees exists. So the descriptions in the book of the forest, the rain, the river and the platypus are all real-life descriptions.
Download Teachers’ Notes
REVIEWED BY MATILDA, 12, NT
alphabetsoup.net.au 