Literary Birthday – 15 January – Jenny Nimmo

Happy Birthday, Jenny Nimmo, born 15 January 1944.

Quotes

There’s nothing like the peace of the countryside, the quiet and the lack of distraction. It helps you to focus your mind.
I’ve read up on magic, and I think it sets you free, and it gives you hope. You can explore worlds you didn’t know existed. It stretches your imagination, and I like my own imagination to be stretched and also the children I’m telling the story to. It gives you a sense of wonder.
Inspiration comes from the world around me. I’m an inveterate eavesdropper.
Every book that you pick up takes you a step away from your real world, but if you read a book about magic, it takes you an extra two steps.
I try not to identify too strongly with any of my characters. I like to stand back and see them objectively. I think this is why I often use boys instead of girls, just in case I get too close and lose the overall picture.
I work in a room overlooking the river. I try to get to my desk as soon as I’ve fed my cats and chickens. I use a blue 3B pencil and scribble away for about 20 pages before transferring it to the computer.

Jenny Nimmo is a British author of children’s books. She has written fantasy and adventure novels, chapter books, and picture books, and is best known for two series: The Magician Trilogy and Children of the Red King. The first Magician book, The Snow Spider, won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize.

Source for image: Goodreads Source for quotes: BrainyQuote

by Amanda Patterson