Author Interview: Cecily Paterson

Well, this month's author interview is someone you've probably already heard me rave about. That's because she's my Ella Shine co-author: Cecily Paterson!
I first met Cecily at an Omega Writers conference and one day we got chatting. Our books competed against each other in various CALEB awards (sometimes I won, sometimes she did) and over the years that competition obviously didn't hurt us because we became good friends. Although I work quite closely with Cecily these days on various fun Pet Sitter projects, I was still keen to interview her to find out a bit more about how she sees her writing and faith work together. Here's what she had to say...

Penny: How would you sum up your author brand and what do you believe your books offer your readers?
Cecily: I write what I call 'braveheart novels for girls' - contemporary fiction featuring female main characters aged 11-14. As my characters come up against challenges in their lives, and challenges in themselves, they discover courage they didn't know they had.
I hope my books offer inspiration and friendship to my readers. Those pre-teen and early teenage years can be pretty rough for girls - when I was the same age, I needed friendship, and I needed someone to show me that I could speak up for myself - and still survive!
The Pet Sitters series is a slightly different brand. These are fun, family-friendly stories about best friends and slightly magical pets. As well as laughs, these books offer the joy of reading or listening together, problem solving, discovery and finding out what's going the happen!  

'Those pre-teen and early teenage years can be pretty rough for girls - when I was the same age, I needed friendship, and I needed someone to show me that I could speak up for myself - and still survive!'
- Cecily Anne Paterson

​Penny: Does your Christian faith impact how you write, and if so, in what ways?
Yes it does. I don't write overtly 'Christian' books, but the values, ethics and character are all built on a Christian basis. All my books offer a wise female mentor, celebration of truth and goodness, and an ending filled with the hope that comes through transformation.

Penny: Tell us about your most recent book and what you love most about it?
The most recent book is Billy Goat Boogie in the Pet Sitters series. I love these stories, mostly because we giggle our way through writing them, thinking up ridiculous scenarios for the characters to navigate. My favourite part of this book is Gus the talking cat complaining about being bored. I think we can all relate to that.
The book I'm working on at the moment is completely different - it's historical fiction based on the life of Sarah Wentworth, daughter of convicts and mistress of Sydney's Vaucluse House in the 1800s. I'm enjoying the research process so much that I may never actually get to doing any writing...
Not true. I will write it, but it's a time-consuming task.

'I'm enjoying the research process so much that I may never actually get to doing any writing... Not true. I will write it'
- Cecily Anne Paterson 

Penny: Who is an author you love to read, and why?
As a child, I loved to read novels by Rumer Godden, because of her unique and compelling author voice. Many of her books were set in India, which resonated with me, as I grew up as an expat in Pakistan. I've been listening to the Harry Potter audiobooks recently, and am still as impressed with JK Rowling's world building and series plot structure as I was when I first read them in my 30s. Last year I loved the Booker Prize shortlisted Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood, for its language and scene creation.

Penny: Where should people go if they'd like to learn more about you and your writing?  
Cecily: My website would be the best place. My first novel, Invisible was a finalist in the Amazon ABNA Awards, and has over 4000 reviews. The ebook is always free - I give it away on my website and on the book retailer sites because I want people to read it and love it.  Visit: www.cecilypaterson.com - Click on 'Free Novel'

Invisible back cover blurb: 
​'Being in the school drama production is the first thing that's made thirteen year old Jazmine feel alive and happy in years. But to keep her part, and her new friends, she'll have to hurdle the barrier of her deafness, stand up to the school bully and face the truth about what really happened to her dad.' ​