I’m delighted to welcome Olivia to my blog today as part of the blog tour for her new book, The Shadow Pony.

The Shadow Pony is a moving story of the power of animal friendships and of family love through generations, taking in the mining heritage of South Wales. You can read my full review here.

Olivia has very kindly answered some questions about the book and her writing process.

Get Kids into Books: Tell me three things about the book.

Olivia: It’s a story about family connections, memories, and the animals who save us.

Get Kids into Books: Tell me about two of the characters.

Olivia: Evan, the main character, loves rugby, hates change, and misses his life in London.

Okie Dokie, Evan’s lovable dog, is a chaotic rescue dog, has separation anxiety, and tends to destroy things when left alone.

Get Kids into Books: Tell me one reason why you think children will love the story.

Olivia: Dogs!

Get Kids into Books: Do you have any particular connection with the setting?

Olivia: As a reader, I love books set in places I recognise, so as a writer, I try to do the same, setting my stories in places that I’ve lived in or I’m familiar with. 

When I was nine years old, I went on a school trip to The Big Pit mining museum, which I used as the inspiration for the coal mine in the story. I revisited The Big Pit when I was doing research, and it was just as fascinating and terrifying as I remembered. In addition, Evan lives in the same village in Wales where I grew up, and this really helped me visualise the setting. There are some Easter eggs in The Shadow Pony if you’ve read my first book, My Dog…

Get Kids into Books: What came to you first, the plot or the characters?

Olivia: I always start with characters and how they feel, and then build the story outwards from there. From the outset, I knew I wanted to write a story about a boy dealing with change, a man with dementia, and the pit ponies. I just had to find a way to bring those three things together. If I know my characters, their reactions drive the plot, so I always have to figure out their emotions in order to push the story forwards. That said, I always knew I wanted Evan to end up in the mine somehow towards the end. 

Get Kids into Books: Did you have a favourite character to write?

Olivia: It’s hard to choose! I really enjoyed writing about Evan’s journey to acceptance, but I also feel a connection with Melly, whose situation has similarities to mine when I was growing up. Okie Dokie and Blue were also a lot of fun because of the chaos they bring. I also loved writing about Grandad, as he’s an amalgamation of people who I have known, and it felt like I got to spend time with them again.

Get Kids into Books: Do you think it’s important to explore difficult themes in children’s books?

Olivia: Absolutely. Children experience difficult situations as adults do; they just process them differently. My aim is to make my stories hopeful, so that if a child who reads the book finds themselves in a similar situation, they know they aren’t alone and they can find a way through it. It’s important to always keep the audience in mind, though; deal with it sensitively, through a child’s eye. 

Get Kids into Books: Thank you so much for joining me today and for sharing these insights into your new book.

Do check out all the other stops on the tour: