Author Interview – Eleanor Dixon

Author of the middle grade series, Tally and the Angel.

I am very pleased to welcome Eleanor Dixon to my blog this week, and we’re chatting about her fourth book in the Tally and the Angel series, The Sands of Time.

Helen: What a wonderful way to introduce history to young readers. Your cover has a flavour of the mediterranean. What were your thoughts behind the cover design?

Eleanor: The cover of The Sands of Time captures the book’s essence: a churning sea mirroring Tally’s inner turmoil as the mighty Poseidon looms. It’s a visual invitation to join Tally on a high-stakes adventure. I wanted to evoke a sense of wonder and danger, enticing readers to dive into Tally’s world. It’s also great for a summer launch!

Helen: When did you realise you had a passion for writing?

Eleanor: The spark ignited young. School essays were my escape, where my imagination could run wild. I remember crafting stories at five, and by nine, I’d penned a full-length play (though sadly, never performed). My father was a superb storyteller and maybe I got some of those genes. It was many years before that passion turned into writing novels, but I always wrote a daily journal (and still do) and, from age ten, wrote weekly letters to my mother until she passed away when I was in my late thirties. Mum kept and catalogued all my letters and I still have them. They are sometimes a great source of inspiration for plots.

Helen: It’s wonderful to see your series going from strength to strength. They do look great together. Who inspired you to write?

Eleanor: Authors such as Tolkein, C S Lewis, Enid Blyton and J K Rowling all inspired me to write, but the person who kick-started me on my writing career is my best friend Phillipa. We danced, and lived, in Greece at the same time. One day I was telling her about a story I had made up in which I wreaked vengeance on someone who had wronged me. She persuaded me to ‘write it down’ and her encouragement led me to a creative writing course, where I discovered a talent I didn’t know I possessed. However, life and love briefly sidetracked me when I came back to England, and my writing was pushed aside. Eventually, it was my husband who encouraged me to take it up again. And I have never looked back. It was as if he had opened a floodgate. Ideas that had lain dormant for many years tumbled so fast out of my head, I couldn’t keep up. I am so grateful that he saw what was missing in my life and for his unwavering support ever since.

Helen: How do you get the ideas for a new book?

Eleanor: Ideas are like unexpected guests—they burst into my mind uninvited! A single word, a fleeting image, can spark a world. If I am starting a new book with no clear idea, I surf the internet and random phrases seem to ignite something in my brain. The curse that threatens the Yukon village in Tally’s second adventure was born from a trailer for a movie. One word in the movie’s title was the eureka moment for me, but I can’t tell what it was because it would be a huge spoiler! Other times, I lie down in a quiet place, close my eyes and visualise characters and settings until one captures my imagination. I also swim a lot and this is a brilliant time for examining my brain for themes. The time just whizzes by while I’m working out glitches or plot twists.

Helen: Ideas come from all over the place. With so many ideas, what are you working on next?

Eleanor: I’m currently weaving enchantment into the fifth book in the Amberwood Hall Ballet School series, which I write alternately with Tally and the Angel. Blending my ballet background with the supernatural means that Amberwood is not just any ballet school: it has ghosts! The idea for the first book came from an event that happened to me when I was ten years old and was a boarder in a girls’ school at the spookiest old house in the country. The fantasy element, which I love, is a big part of the series and readers don’t need to be ballet fans to enjoy Amberwood any more than one must be a wizard to enjoy Hogwarts.  

Helen: What a wonderful combination, boarding school and ghosts!! With all these ideas flowing, do you find you plan your books upfront, or are you more of a pantser?

Eleanor: I started out as a pantser, but my editor has moulded me into a planner. She insisted she couldn’t work with me unless I write out the storyline, which we then discuss, and then a complete chapter breakdown before I write the actual novel. At first I really struggled! I toyed with the idea of writing the book, then going back and summarising it for her, subsequently wowing her with how quickly I finished it! But I never did that. I soon realised that I write much better for plotting the entire novel in advance. Of course, things change along the way and nine times out of ten, a character turns out to be totally different from the original idea. But having a frame to work to means I work much more efficiently. Plus, I don’t get sleepless nights wondering where it’s all going to end. It’s a wonderful preventative to writers’ block.

Helen: It sounds like you have an excellent editor! Have you ever experienced self-doubt as a writer, and if so, how have you dealt with it?

Eleanor: Self-doubt is a constant companion, but I’ve learned to channel it into motivation. Positive feedback from my editor and readers is a powerful antidote, reminding me of the joy writing brings. I always read the reviews for my books and this can be so uplifting.

Helen: Thank you so much for joining me today. It has been lovely learning about you and your books. Just to close us out, if you didn’t write middle grade what genre would tempt you?

Eleanor: The allure of adult fiction beckons. With a wealth of experiences as a young dancer, I have a world of stories to explore. So, I would like to write an adult novel using some of the events that happened to me. It is something I think about a lot. It would be a daunting task after Middle-grade literature because adult novels are so much longer. I’m used to wrapping everything up in about 40 to 50,000 words. I would enjoy the challenge of finding enough material and complexities of plot to fill 80,000 to 120,00 words.

About the Author

Eleanor Dixon

Eleanor Dixon writes exciting, page-turning, high-stakes books for young people (though many adults enjoy her books too!). Her Tally and the Angel series (recipient of Mom’s Choice and Literary Titan Gold Awards) are travel adventures with each book taking place in a different country. The series takes its inspiration from Eleanor’s extensive global travels. Visit different countries with Tally from the comfort of your seat. And help her and Jophiel, the angel, foil dastardly plots.

Eleanor used to be a ballerina and taught in her own school in Athens, Greece (she speaks Greek fluently!) and is well qualified to write her Amberwood Hall Ballet School series, about a ballet school with a difference: it has ghosts! The first two books have been shortlisted in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards and The Graceful Ghost, the first, has also been shortlisted in the UKSelfies2020 awards. If you want a free taster, download The Ghosts of Amberwood onto your Kindle for nothing! It is the prequel and tells how Grace and Rodney became… the ghosts of Amberwood.

Eleanor adores animals and always has dogs, cats, hens, sheep and an abundance of wildlife at her UK home.

And… she loves birthday cake!

Follow Eleanor:

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Purchase Eleanor’s book, Tally and the Angel: The Sands of Time:

Link to book on Amazon UK: eBook | Paperback

Link to book on Amazon US: eBook | Paperback

As an Amazon Associate I may benefit from purchases made using these links.

If you enjoy epic fantasy then check out my award winning Sentinal series, which is now complete. If you like fantasy books with a touch of romance then you will love my SoulMist series, start with SoulBreather. Prefer Dystopian Science Fantasy? Then try Harmony. Start the adventure and stay for the journey.

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