Author of the children’s book Nani Gets Lost
Join me as I chat to children’s fantasy author RK Nixon about her latest children’s book and how she got into writing.
Helen: Welcome Rosemary, please tell us about your new book.
Rosemary: Nani Gets Lost was released in December 2021. It is about Nani and her friends, Doggy and Gnome, they go to the supermarket to get food for a picnic. Nani loses her friends at the supermarket. The story teaches children what to do if they get lost.
Helen: The cover is so cute. I suppose it was quite easy to decide on the cover and the title?
Rosemary: The front cover is Nani, Doggy and Gnome together. The book is about the three friends so I wanted the front cover to show them all together. It was designed by my illustrator, Carla Vize-Martin.
As a children’s book, the title needed to be simple, easy to say and describe the story. ‘Nani Gets Lost’ explains what the story is about and is appealing to children. It’s a simple sentence but it took a lot of attempts to find the right words in the right order.
Helen: It is quite amazing how sometimes the simplest things take the longest to create. What inspired you write this book?
Rosemary: I wrote this book for my youngest daughter. It is about her toy Rabbit, Nani. Emily takes Nani everywhere, they get up to a lot of adventures together; so I wrote one of those adventures down for her. I’ve always loved making up stories. I started writing one for my oldest daughter when she was born. I wanted to write her a story that I could read to her and it snowballed from there. It was wonderful feeling being able to hand her her very own book that was written for her. I enjoy writing children’s fantasy, although one day I would like to write an adult historical drama.
Helen: What a great feeling that must be. Congratulations on publishing your book! It must be so exciting introducing children to the wonderful world of reading. Where do you get the ideas for your books? What are you working on now?
Rosemary: I get my inspiration from my daughters and husband. They are always playing imaginary games and creating new worlds, they often come out with something that sparks my imagination. Usually I write around my children’s hobbys; whilst I’m sat waiting for them to finish. Sometimes ideas come to me when I least expect it so I have a page on my phone where I can write them down so I don’t forget them. My current WIP is the second book in The Alexander Adventures. It is about a mischievous pixie that causes havoc in Orchantia, the realm of the fairies.
Helen: Tell us about your writing space. Do you listen to music while you write, or is silence your preferred environment?
Rosemary: I often have music playing in the background. I have an eclectic taste in music, so it can be anything from classical to rock but often I pick calm music if I am writing.
Helen: And do you have a writing nook? Somewhere you can squirrel away and focus on your writing?
Rosemary: I like writing on my couch, next to the window so I can look at the view to give me a bit of inspiration. It gets the most sun, so it’s always warm and it looks out over the fields, if I’m lucky I get to see a family of deer walking along.
Helen: Sounds lovely! Do you have the chance to read much? Who is your favorite author?
Rosemary: I love reading historical novels, I would love to write a story like that one day. I have to confess I have got out of the habit of reading (there’s just not enough time in the day!) so I haven’t read anything for a while. I really enjoyed the Cousins Series by Philippa Gregory.
My favourite author would have to be Roald Dahl, I grew up reading his books and now my children are reading them. There are a few authors that inspire me; Roald Dahl, Julia Donaldson, J. R. R. Tolkien, but it is my family that keeps encouraging me to keep going.
Helen: We are drawing to a close now, please tell us something random about yourself.
Rosemary: I have a cookie bite hearing loss. I’ve had it since I was born but only found out about it when I was 30. I now have fancy hearing aids which I can play music on which is amazing.
Helen: Technology is so clever these days. You have a built in radio! It’s been lovely meeting you, Rosemary. Just to finish with, what advice would you give to other aspiring authors?
Rosemary: ‘Don’t give up. If you believe in your work it will happen.’ Indie Author, Lee Hall. Just write. Put your ideas down on paper, worry about the editing once your story is written.
For more information:
About the Author:
R.K Nixon has written two books; The Aquarius Stone (published, 2020) and Nani Gets Lost (Published, 2021). She grew up loving books, especially fantasy and now writes her own. Up until December she worked as a Speech and Language Therapist, so she understands the importance of stories for developing children’s language skills and imagination. She lives with her two very energetic girls, Emily and Charlotte and her husband, Mel, who is a child at heart. It can be a very noisy house at times but they are always giving her lots of fun ideas for new stories.
You can purchase Nani Gets Lost from Amazon:
USA: eBook
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If you enjoy fantasy books then you will love my books which are available in eBook, paperback or hardcover: Book One: Sentinals Awaken. Book Two: Sentinals Rising. Book Three: Sentinals Justice. Book 3.5: Sentinals Recovery. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and get notified when my next book releases.
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Helen Garraway 