No Tune Ned is the story of story of a boy who can’t hold a tune, and a talking goat. It’s an adventure full of music (some of it off key!), magic and monsters. I’m delighted to welcome Oliver Lendon to my blog today to talk about the ideas behind his book.
How a Terrible Bard and a Talking Goat Became No Tune Ned
The idea for No Tune Ned started with one simple question: what if you lived in a world where music was magic, but you were absolutely terrible at music? That question eventually became Dravenloch, a kingdom where bards aren’t simply entertainers but heroes who can use their music to tame monsters, heal wounds and perform incredible feats of magic. Unfortunately for eleven-year-old Ned Numbles, who desperately wants to become a bard himself, he sings like a kettle falling downstairs.
I loved the idea of writing about someone who wasn’t secretly brilliant at the very thing they wanted to do. Ned isn’t hiding an incredible singing voice, and he doesn’t suddenly discover that he’s the greatest bard in Dravenloch. He’s just Ned, wrong notes and all, trying to find his place in a kingdom where musical talent is everything.
Once I had Ned, the world started growing around him, and I began imagining the strange creatures that might inhabit Dravenloch, the different ways bards could use their abilities and the trouble that might arise if somebody decided to use music for something rather less heroic. That eventually led to the Crooner Below, a mysterious villain whose perfect music allows him to control monsters and steal people’s voices.
And then, of course, there was Clove. I’m not entirely sure where the idea of giving Ned a sarcastic talking goat came from, but I’m very glad I did. Clove quickly became one of my favourite characters to write because he has an opinion on absolutely everything and isn’t remotely interested in keeping it to himself.
What began as a simple idea about a boy who couldn’t sing became a journey through a strange kingdom filled with magic, monsters, danger and one deeply unimpressed goat.
No Tune Ned is published by Everything With Words and is out now. Buy book Click on the link to buy No Tune Ned from Bookshop.org.
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