Want to get to know one of the incredible creative minds behind the Your Next Read junior fiction novels? Read on!
Amelia Mellor is an author, teacher and nature nerd. She is the creator of The Grandest Bookshop in the World, The Bookseller’s Apprentice and The Lost Book of Magic, a multi-award-winning historical fantasy trilogy based in Melbourne where she lives. She holds degrees from Monash University and The University of Melbourne.
Amelia is writing a new Ocean-based adventure series called Oceanforged and has already published Oceanforged 1: The Wicked Ship, Oceanforged 2: The Silent Island and Oceanforged 3: The Sinking Ruins.
When she’s not writing or researching, she’s usually tending her collection of tropical fish or attempting a wildly ambitious craft project.
The Guinea Fowl Mystery (Your Next Read Gold) is Amelia’s first junior fiction novel. It’s illustrated by Jess Racklyeft and is one of four new titles in released this month.
We asked Amelia to share some insights about herself and her creative process, and to take our Your Next Read Icons challenge!
YKNR: Why did you choose THIS story to write for the Your Next Read series?
Amelia: ‘My sister lives on a farm with her family in the same region where I used to be a teacher. On one visit to my sister’s, I was captivated by flock of guinea fowl she had bought to alert her to snakes in the garden.
‘I’m more used to writing longer books with complicated fantasy worldbuilding, but I knew a short, funny story about farm kids and unusual animals would be just the right length for a Your Next Read Gold Series book. And I was excited by the idea that when my nieces are old enough to read, the first of “Aunty Mim’s books” they read by themselves might be the one they helped to inspire!.’
What are you thinking about when you are writing a story for readers 7+? How are they different from younger or older readers?
Amelia: ‘I chose a very different narrative voice for this story than I’m used to – one that’s more conversational and uses more natural vocabulary than my usual fantasy books for ages eight to thirteen.
‘I also pulled back, more than I usually would, from danger and darkness this time, although I’ve tried not to remove them completely because they’re part of farm life. The kids in my book still don’t ride their horses unsupervised for safety reasons, and they still discuss death in relation to food chains, pest control and eating meat.’
What’s the hardest thing about writing a story for this age group?
Amelia: ‘One thing I found tricky was making the vocabulary accessible, sometimes in ways I never anticipated! I grew up on a bush block with fruit trees and backyard chickens, and I hadn’t realised that not everyone would know the difference between a pen and a coop, or that ‘hopper’ wasn’t a universal word for food and water dispensers for chickens and other farmyard fowl.‘
Why did you want to be part of the Your Next Read Gold series?
Amelia: ‘Country kids have additional literacy challenges compared to kids in metropolitan areas and can be up to two years behind in their reading. I saw an opportunity for this series to support their learning and for ‘The Guinea Fowl Mystery’ in particular to represent kids in rural areas, hopefully hooking their interest.‘
If you had to describe YOURSELF in three Your Next Read icons, which would you choose?
Amelia: ‘Animals for my love of wildlife and wild facts, history for my interest in how people have lived throughout time, and art for my creative passions.’
Choose the three icons that describe the kinds of STORIES that you love to read
Amelia: ‘Fantasy, surprising and animals sums them up the most! I like fantasy the most when it’s surprising and a bit weird, and that’s what I try to write as well. I’m often hooked by stories that comment on environmental issues or non-human cognition, and most of my stories involve strange monsters or people trying to communicate with animals.‘
Discover more information about the Your Next Read icons here.
What’s your best tip for young writers?
Amelia: ‘The one I think is the most important is: keep trying! You might get stuck, you might not get it all right on the first go, you might outgrow an idea you worked on for years, you might someday send out a manuscript that gets tons of rejections, but your writing journey only ends where you decide to stop. Keep refining your skills, experimenting with new ideas and taking opportunities as they come. I’ll be cheering you on, wherever you are!’
Want more?
About ‘The Guinea Fowl Mystery’ by Amelia Mellor, illustrated by Jess Racklyeft
Do you like MYSTERY, FAMILY and ANIMALS?
Then this book is YOUR NEXT READ.
Hazel and Ava love all the animals on their family’s farm … until the guinea fowl arrive. They’re noisy, messy and always causing trouble. Then one day, they disappear! Can Hazel and Ava solve the guinea fowl mystery?
Buy here from your favourite online retailer
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Meet Sara Acton, illustrator of ‘Gabi Makes Room’ (Your Next Read Gold)
Meet Jess Racklyeft, illustrator of ‘The Guinea Fowl Mystery’ (Your Next Read Gold)
Meet Laura Stitzel, illustrator of ‘The Lonely Lunch Club’ (Your Next Read Silver)
