A Q&A interview with author Ollie George Clark

Ollie George Clark is an award-winning writer who grew up with a passion for fantasy adventure novels – now he is creating them for the next generation. The Youngest Faircrest series is full of adventure, humour, impossible creatures, and daring missions; all centred around a truly exceptional protagonist. He answered our questions about the first in the series.

Youngest Faircrest and the Search for a Sorcerer is a fantasy adventure, a genre you’ve loved since childhood. What is it about fantasy that so appealed to you?

Ooh, that’s a good question!! I have always lovely fantasy because of the escapism it offers. I enjoy exploring other worlds and meeting fantastical creatures. I think that’s why when writing Bogsmarsh (the town where Youngest and the Faircrests live) I’ve made it as inviting as possible. I want everyone to feel they can open the book and visit this town!

And I’ve filled the surrounding forest full of unknown creatures for readers to encounter. Alongside familiar ones (dire wolves, pixies and trolls) are entirely new ones (dreaditts, juggathears and okkalings). Though helpfully, the Creatruology Encylopedia is on hand for helpful tips and tricks on what you’ve run into!

Which childhood reads where your particular favourites and why?

I remember A Series of Unfortunate Events having a big impact. There’s something about Lemony Snicket’s narration that always drew me in. The idea of being told to put down the book and go and do something else was extraordinarily different, and I felt particularly rebellious as I carried on reading of the Beaudelaire’s fate.

Equally, the Alex Rider series felt seminal to my reading. There was a propulsion and agency to those books that kept me turning the page. I was desperate to find out how Alex could escape and discover his family secrets.

And, of course, Narnia. I always loved the grand, epic scale of those stories. The range of characters and monsters and the size of the land felt truly inspirational.

But, alongside this, I wasn’t a confident reader and it often took me a long time to get into a book – I have that same struggle even as an adult now. It’s why with Youngest Faircrest and the Search for a Sorcerer, I have borrowed from the books that hooked me and trying to make the most ‘readable’ book possible, filled with short chapters, lots of comedy and a narrator telling YOU the story!

It’s the sort of book that would have hooked me in, and I hope it will to you too!

Youngest Faircrest is a particularly appealing protagonist. Where did the idea for his character come from, is he the kind of hero you wanted to be?

I always started with Youngest. Forming, writing and crafting him was the key stone for the whole series, and I wanted to make a hero we don’t see very often. Youngest is a very anxious, nervous and uncertain boy who doesn’t think he’s special in anyway – THAT was who’s story I wanted to tell.

Youngest’s heroism comes from his ability to always keep going alongside the worry that rattles inside his head. He is brave and nervous; courageous and scared, and that all co-exists within him. It was this type of hero that I wanted to shine a light on and explore because it’s that form of heroism that needs celebrating!

And yes, Youngest is exactly the type of hero I wanted to be – I hope others feel the same as they explore Bogsmarsh with him!!

You write plays for stage, radio and television but Youngest Faircrest and the Search for a Sorcerer is your debut novel for children. What did you enjoy most about the process of writing the novel, and does your work as a dramatist feed into it?

Oh yes, I think all my different writings link together into Youngest! In many ways, Youngest Faircrest and the Search for a Sorcerer has the structure of a TV script. Each chapter is very short (almost all under 1000 words), they’re written just like scenes and the whole book has a rocket-charged momentum.

Not only does this make the book (I hope!) feel very readable but allows you to race through it as each chapter/ scene leads directly onto the next, moment to moment!

It helps me keep the comedy at the forefront of the book. After all, the book is a fantasy comedy! I won the British Comedy Guide Sitcom Competition a few years ago and my love of making people laugh is found on every page. Finding jokes and humour in the characters world and interactions is the thing I love doing most as a writer.

The whole process of writing was wonderful. Having first created Youngest, I built outwards: then discovering his family and siblings, followed by the town of Bogsmarsh, and then the peoples and traditions found within.

While writing dialogue remains my favourite part of the writing process, the joy of building this island has been a very close second!

What advice would you give to anyone starting writing a fantasy adventure – eg in terms of worldbuilding?

Ah, great question! I would say, always start with character. There are two old adages in writing: character=plot, and your lead should always be in the worst possible spot, and that’s what I kept at the heart of Youngest.

Okay, let me explain, let’s take Youngest: A very nervous, anxious boy, uncertain of his place in the world. I thought, what would be the worst thing for him to have to face? That’s how I struck upon The Deciding. The town-wide, public event at the start of this book. It’s the dreaded day when you leave school in Bogsmarsh and go for your meeting with The Decider (the town’s leader and law maker).

The Decider will look at your school results and aptitude and determine your lifelong profession. Maybe you’ll be assigned a guardian, a battle-hardened warrior? Or a creatureuologist, studying the creatures of the island? Or an inventor, tasked with devising contraptions for Bogsmarsh? Whatever you get, the last one you want is dearth. That profession means you have no obvious skills and you just have to watch the pigs all day.

It’s the sort of event Youngest would dread! That’s how I knew it was the right event to write about. It’s the sort of scenario that will allow him to shine as our hero. A kiln in which to explore who he is and what matters to him.

I hope that makes sense!! I know how daunting it can be when starting out writing but always keeping going (just like Youngest) is my other tip!

Will there be more adventures for Youngest Faircrest and his friends? Are you already writing more stories for children?

Yes!! I’m excited to say there will be! I have already finished writing the second book, which will be coming out next year, and I will start to write the third book later in the Summer!

It is the greatest gift of my witing career that I get to continue exploring this world with these characters. I love spending time with them as the story unfolds and can’t wait to share more.

See you in Bogsmarsh very soon!

Youngest Faircrest and the Search for a Sorcerer by Ollie George Clark, illustrated by Tom Knight, is published by DK Flip, ‎ 978-0241756355, £8.99 pbk.