Author of the children’s fantasy book, Flame Chasers.
I was thrilled to meet children’s fantasy author, Julie Pike, at a local book fair in Bracknell, and I am so happy to be chatting to her on my blog this week.
Helen: Welcome Julie. It’s great to speak to you again. I am excited to talk to you abour your books. Tell us about your latest book, Flame Chasers.
Julie: Flame Chasers is a magical children’s adventure about flamebirds, family and friendship. The flamebirds crackle through the night sky like fireworks. Once every year they stop at Bright Beacon to rest before continuing their journey – where to, exactly, no one knows. Anyone lucky enough to touch a golden tail feather will be granted a wish, so their fiery arrival has become the start of a strange race. Boats full of Flame Chasers gather in the harbour, ready to dash across the ocean in hot pursuit of the Phoenix-like flock. Ember is desperate to join the chase but is devastated when Pa leaves without her. She’s not the only one left behind: on the rocks there is a beleaguered little bird, a cinderling, a flamebird unable to return home to recharge its magic. Ember is determined to find a boat so she can look for the flamebirds secret home, and in so doing, find her Pa and save the cinderling.
Helen: Oh, that sounds amazing. What a wonderful story. What were your thoughts behind the cover design?
Julie: The beautiful cover for my story was designed by children’s book illustrator David Dean. He was commissioned by my publisher, Firefly Press to create a bold, colourful and action-packed cover.
To help David envisage my story world, I developed a mood board of images that I’d used myself to inspire the adventure. These included pictures of ‘Bright Beacon’, images of my flamebirds, my characters, and the story’s squash buckling settings. David’s concept took my breath away. I love its rich colours and swirls of magic as he seamlessly combines these elements to create a whirlpool effect, cleverly mirroring in design the action of the story itself.
Helen: I love learning the detail behind the covers. I think titles are sometimes even harder to think up! How did you come up with your title?
Julie: For a long time, the draft title of the story was called Feather Flame, but as I worked through the drafts, I realised the story was about so much more than the magic in the birds flaming feathers. It was about the characters that chased the flamebirds tails and what they hoped to do with the wishes they yearned for. I also wanted a more action-led adventurous sounding title to appeal to children, and a shorter title than that of my first book. Shorter titles are easier to remember and work better for hashtags. I played around with a long list of title ideas, but once I’d combined the noun and verb, I knew I had the perfect title. Luckily my publisher agreed, otherwise we’d have all gone back to the drawing board!
Helen: I love the title you chose, as you say it works really well. Which genre do you typically write?
Julie: All my stories have a fantasy twist to them. I’ve tried writing contemporary tales, but as I write each scene my brain always offers up a delicious magical ‘what if’ which I find impossible to resist!
Helen: Most writers are great readers as well. What is your favourite book and how did it inspire you write fantasy?
Julie: Gosh, I have soooo many favourite books, but if I had to pick one, then I’d cheat and say The Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix. It’s not really a cheat because the three books are part of the same story arc. For a long time, I knew I wanted to write stories, but I didn’t get serious about it until my 40s – partly because I didn’t think a kid from a council estate was ‘allowed’ to be an author, and partly because I didn’t know what stories I wanted to write. All that changed when a friend gave me the first book of the trilogy, Sabriel, and said, ‘Read this, you’ll love it!’ She was right. That story lit my imagination like nothing else. I didn’t want to leave Garth’s magical worlds, so I resolved to create my own. If not for Sabriel’s and Lirael’s stories, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be a writer today.
Helen: I’m so glad your friend gave you the book. I loved Sabriel as well! It’s been fun chatting but before we finish, could you share one of the best things that has happened to you since you began writing?
Julie: Garth Nix has a saying, which I cleaved to when I was an aspiring author. He said (and I think he’s also quoting another here, but I’m not sure who) ‘nothing can happen until you finish it’. It took me six years to write my first story and five years to write my next. Finishing both stories was a major achievement and filled me with life affirming confidence. Many wonderful things have happened since the first time I wrote ‘The End.’
It’s hard to choose just one, but I think it would have to be an early book signing in Waterstones Bournemouth. I met a young girl, who’d read my story and was eager to meet me. So much so she ran into the bookshop and hovered shyly by my signing table. Her parents said she’d run across the car park to meet me. Wow! I’d never expected that! I knew of course it wasn’t ‘me’ she was desperate to meet. She wanted to meet the part of me who’d written an adventure that had made her soul sing. She reminded me of the person I’d been at the age of eleven, eyes shining like stars as I read new worlds filled with adventure. The day I met that young reader, I knew then, regardless of whether my story was a commercial success, I’d achieved something more important, I’d made eleven-year-old me proud.
About the Author
Julie Pike
Growing up on a council estate in Neath, nestled in the Welsh Valleys, Julie developed a love of stories at the town’s fine Victorian library; so much so, she included it in her children’s fantasy-adventure debut, The Last Spell Breather.
Published by Oxford University Press in 2019, the book was translated into Polish, Indonesian and Russian. It was longlisted for Waterstones Children’s book of the year.
Her second children’s novel, Flame Chasers published in 2024 by Firefly Press was translated into German and was named Children’s Book of the Week in The Times.
Julie has an MA (with distinction) in Creative Writing for Young People from Bath Spa University and gave the valedictorian speech at her graduation ceremony. She lives in the Forest of Dean, on the border between England and Wales, where she adventures under the canopy with her Border Collie, Spock.
She is passionate about adventure stories, volunteering in schools and libraries, helping children find stories that excite them.
The stories she read as a child inspired her to have real-life adventures as an adult. She has trekked to Everest Base Camp and the peak of Kilimanjaro, tandem skydived over the great lake of New Zealand, and camped on the Great Wall of China in a lightning storm!
Follow Julie:
Purchase Julie’s book, Flame Chasers :
Link to book on Amazon UK: eBook | Paperback
Link to book on Amazon US: eBook | Paperback
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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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