Emma Dodd

The Next Big Thing - Blog Chain      31st January 2013

So here I am – just one little link in a blog chain of fabulous authors and author/illustrators called The Awfully Big Blog Adventure and we are all talking about The Next Big Thing

ie. What we’re working on now!

I was invited by Katherine Lodge, fantastic illustrator of the Let's Find Mimi series (Hodder) and thoroughly lovely person.  See more on her websitehttp://www.seriouslycute.com

What is the title of your next book?

"Cinderelephant" in paperback.

What is a one-sentence synopsis of your book?

It's a retelling of the traditional fairytale, starring a lonely elephant and a very BIG shoe.

Where did the idea for the book come from?

I took my children to see choreographer Matthew Bourne's "Cinderella" at Sadler's Wells. To be honest, the show was rather too sophisticated for young children but the poster

featured a photograph of a surprising un-dainty shoe. I thought how great it would be if Cinderella's shoe was too big to fit on anybody else's foot and then, in a flash of inspiration, the name "Cinderelephant" came to me.

I couldn't really believe that it hadn't been done before.  I shared the idea with the fantastic, imaginative people at Templar Publishing and we started work on it almost immediately. It was such a fun book to illustrate!

Love at first sight!  Cinderelephant and Prince Trunky meet.

What genre does your book fall under?

Picture books for young children.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Barry White would play Prince Trunky and Anne Hathaway would play Cinderelephant. I think it would be a musical.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I have a fantastic agent, Eunice McMullen. The book is published by Templar Publishing here and Arthur Levine in America.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

It didn't take long, probably about a day. I thought about it for some time before, though.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Leigh Hodgkinson has written a wonderful book called "Goldilocks and Just The One Bear." which is a particular favourite of mine.

There are many brilliant retellings of classic fairy tales, but I think that is one of the best.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Well, I've already told you about the initial inspiration for the idea, but I also wanted to have a heroine who was very much an individual.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

"Cinderelephant" is a humorous book. I want to make the reader laugh so I use puns and word play a lot.

The hard back edition of "Cinderelephant" is already in the shops. Look out for the paper back on June 1st  2013.

The next author/illustrator in the chain will be the super talented Caroline Jayne Church, creator of numerous beautiful books for children. You can find out more about Caroline and her books at  http://www.carolinejaynechurch.com