Three Times A Charm with Philip Coleman
Welcome to Three Times A Charm. I love meeting new
authors, illustrators, bloggers, agents, editors or promoters from the
children’s publishing industry and sharing their careers with my readers.
Today’s guest is author, Philip Coleman. Philip tell us
a little about you, please.
I’ve
worked as a biologist for most of my life—in
Ireland, Belgium and now in Switzerland, where I work for WWF (the panda
people, not the wrestlers!). I used to write stories as a teenager, and even
co-edited the school magazine, but I didn’t come back to writing until 2006
(and I won’t tell you how long after my schooldays that was!). This is my first
published novel, after a couple of failed attempts. I wanted to capture the
atmosphere of the time I spent living in Brussels, when my kids were around the
same ages as Sean and Maeve in the story (though my kids are NOT like them and
anyway they’re grown-up now. I live in the French Alps now; it’s a long commute
to work but I’m surrounded my stunning scenery and, of course, I’m learning to
ski.
I visited the French Alp when I
was a teenager. The little village I stayed in for a couple weeks, Méribel Les Allues, was the inspiration behind the fictional
village in my Weaver Tales books. LOVED it there. You must be inspired all the
time.
Can you tell us more about The
Master’s Book?
Sean
moves to Brussels to a house that is a crime scene...
In 1482 Mary, the last Duchess of Burgundy, lies on her deathbed in a
castle in Flanders. She is only 24. In her final moments she makes a wish that,
500 years later, will threaten the lives of a boy and a girl living in
Brussels.
The Master’s Book is the story of Sean, an Irish teenager, just arrived
in Brussels to a house that is also a crime scene. Together with Stephanie, his
classmate, he finds an illuminated manuscript, only for it to be stolen almost
at once.
Where did this manuscript come from? Who was it originally made for? Is
there a connection with the beautiful tomb Sean has seen in Bruges? Above all,
why does someone want this book so badly that they are prepared to kill for it?
Part thriller and part paper-chase, this book is aimed at boys and girls
of twelve and over.
Now, for the Threes. Share with us your top 3’s to help
us know you a little better.
- Top 3 books you recommend reading and why you recommend them.
Well, I have could offer lots of
highbrow recommendations (see below) but, for a combination of something that’s
entertaining but educational at the same time, I’d pick the following:
1. Empire of the Sun, by J.G. Ballard.
Forget the Spielberg movie; the
book is much better. All kids in their early teens – but especially boys –
should read this excellent portrayal of a brave and smart young boy who
sharpens his survivor skills in a Japanese internment camp in WWII.
2. The Siege of Krishnapur, by J.G. Farrell
(that’s another J.G.!)
Set in the Indian mutiny, this is
part of Farrell’s Empire Trilogy but it’s the most exciting and accessible of
the three books. I read it aloud to my kids and the loved it. It’s edge of the
seat and very funny.
3. My Family and Other Animals, by Gerald
Durrell
Durrell wrote lots of very funny
books about studying and collecting animals for his zoo but his account of life
in Corfu in the 1930s with his eccentric family is the best of all, with both
the animals and the humans as key characters.
- Top 3 most admired people and why you admire them.
Lots of brave people in history and
recent times have risked and lost their lives in pursuit of justice but, for
completely emotional reasons, it’s always more poignant (and more shocking)
when the person concerned is a young woman. In this regard I would mention Sophie Scholl, who was beheaded by the
Nazis in 1943 for distributing anti-Nazi pamphlets, and (yes I know this may be
controversial) Rachel Corrie, who
was killed by an Israeli bulldozer while defending the home of a family in Gaza
from demolition.
My third choice is also a martyr in
his own way and that would be Abraham
Lincoln. He was more human than he is sometimes portrayed and he didn’t
always do the right thing but, as well as being a fundamentally decent man in a
very difficult situation, he was extremely
smart (much more than the people who worked with him, most of whom came from
less poor backgrounds) and I like smart!
(I like smart too, Philip. A lot!)
- Top 3 authors OR Top 3 illustrators.
How about two authors and one
illustrator?
Well, I said I could go highbrow so
for the authors I would choose Fyodor
Dostoevsky, author of masterpieces like Crime
and Punishment, The Idiot and The
Brothers Karamazov, and Joseph
Conrad, famous for Lord Jim,
Nostromo, and The Secret Agent,
among others.
For illustrators it has to be
Mervyn Peake (also a talented author of works like the Gormenghast trilogy),
who did superb illustrations for books such as The Ryme of the Ancient Mariner, Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, The Hunting of
the Snark and several of his own books, including the whimsical Letters from a Lost Uncle.
Philip, how can our tech-savvy readers keep up with you
and your writing?
I’m in the process of setting up a
new website with a blog. In the meantime, my email address is philipdcoleman@gmail.com
Thanks for charming
us on this week’s Three Times A Charm, Philip. Best of luck to you and your
writing.
THANKS!
Mervyn Peake is a good illustrator, but I think that as for the Snark, Henry Holiday still is the best.
ReplyDeleteHenry Holiday does do nice work! Thanks for stopping in, Goetz.
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