It was a brisk day at the Edinburgh international book festival. Bibliophiles shuffled into Charlotte Square Gardens, downing hot coffee as they huddled for warmth in the bookshop. Whether all of those nestled in the shop were actually browsing and not warming themselves on the heaters, I'll never know.
Things started to chug into action at one of the first events I attended: Lindsey Fraser in conversation with Malorie Blackman, the new children's laureate. I'd met Blackman and interviewed her twice in July so I was well versed with her recent works and ventures. Her talk was delightful and Blackman gave a very animated presentation. Afterwards I went to speak to Steve Cole and we spoke about talk show hosting, Spiderman and his new book, Magic Ink.
Steve Cole is no stranger to the world of superheroes and comics. He last appeared at the Edinburgh International Book Festival as the self-titled Spider Writer, dressed head to toe in a jet-black Spiderman outfit and catching the attention of many passersby. Now he's turned his obsession with the fictional (although in Cole's mind it's real) land of crime fighters into the plot for his new book, Magic Ink.
"It's the book I've been longing to tell since I was five-years-old," he says fondly, "ever since I heard the Spiderman theme blasting out from the TV, which made me want to go leaping about the furniture and swinging from the curtains, climbing up the walls; driving my parents up the walls."
I wondered if Cole still reads children's novels as a source of inspiration. "I was an editor of children's books for a long time so I read an awful lot but I find it hard to read them without wanting to edit them. So normally I don't try to read too much because I write so much as well I don't want to be influenced, even subconsciously; I tend to pick and choose quite carefully what I read and stick to nonfiction, which is always good research for stories."
What advice would you give to your 10-year-old self? "I'd say, 'enjoy writing your Dalek comics and your Doctor Who stories because one day you're going to be doing them for real, for money.' I never would have imagined it but the thing is, I look back and I always wanted to be a writer but never, ever did it seem like a serious proposition. So I didn't really follow that dream."
"If I hadn't been a writer I would have to like to have been a chat show host. My trick would to be really angry and aggressive to my guests as soon as they came on," Cole explains when I ask him what he would have been if he hadn't been an author. "They'd be trying to promote their film and I'd be saying, 'WHAT FLAVOUR OF CRISPS DO YOU LIKE!' and they'd say, 'ah…' and I'd go, 'ANSWER THE QUESTION'!"
BBC1, get this man a contract.
Once Cole had finished, I took a break, looking around the festival and nosily seeing what books people were carrying around. I found there was something decidedly unique about the Edinburgh book festival and that was the atmosphere. The layout of the festival; the outdoorsy feel to it with events being held in pointed marquees really made me feel like I was somewhere different. If you took a step in any direction away from it then you were back in the city so I felt the Edinburgh book festival was something different indeed.
I hurried off to meet with Judith Kerr, author of The Tiger Who Came To Tea and someone who strongly influenced my childhood. She kindly agreed to answer some questions from me:
When you're creating a book, what part do you prefer doing – the writing or the illustrating?
Oh, the illustrations. That's what I really do. You have to have the story but it's the drawing that takes the time. It's what I want to get right.
Looking back at your literary career, are you pleased with what you've achieved, as a writer?
I'm amazed, dear, it's far more than I ever dreamt would happen. I didn't think I'd have a literary career; it wasn't what I expected.
What advice would you give to your 10-year-old self?
Keep calm and carry on.
As the sun drifted down behind Edinburgh Castle, the afternoon's readers filtered out, soon to be replaced by the evening crowd. Lemonades and milkshakes vanished from sight, replaced by flutes of wine and pints of beer. I hurried off to the author's yurt where I caught up with Neil Gaiman, author of Fortunately, the Milk and The Graveyard Book, and he also submitted to my Q+A:
Have any books changed your life? Particularly ones you read when you were younger.
I think the great thing about books that you read when you're young is that every single one of them changes your life… including some of the bad ones. I mean, you don't know who you'd be without them but I cannot imagine that without CS Lewis, without Mary Poppins, PL Travers' books, without Tolkien, without people like Michael Moorcock, Harlan Ellison, Roger Zelazny I wouldn't be the human being that I am let alone the writer that I am.
Do you have any unfinished novels lying around? Stories that you would one day like to tell?
I do but they're mostly unfinished because I haven't gotten round to finishing them yet. But there's the first chapter-ish of a book with the working title of Odd Goes to Jerusalem right now, sitting there. And there's a half finished American Gods story.
What advice do you have for young writers hoping to get published in the future?
Finish things.
What book are you currently reading?
I'm currently reading a book called Fooling Houdini and I think it's by Alex Stone. It's a book about the psychology of magicians.
After what was a deliriously fun and exciting day I left the book festival, tragically, just as things were hotting up. The bookshop was still teeming with readers and the famous vintage venue, the Spiegeltent, was packed. All in all, it was delightful day at the Edinburgh International Book Festival and I had a lovely time. Come next year, you'll have the time of your life.
