BIO

Alexander McCall Smith is professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. He is also the author of over fifty books. These range from adult fiction to specialist titles, such as FORENSIC ASPECTS OF SLEEP, to a wide selection of children's books. In 1999 THE NO 1 LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY was published. This book quickly became a bestseller and was voted one of the 'International Books of the Year and the Millennium' by the Times Literary Supplement.

In America the success of the series was instant with sales exceeding two million in the USA alone. He is the winner of three Author of the Year awards in 2004 (British Book Awards, Booksellers' Association and Waterstone's). Bloomsbury Publishing is very proud and excited to be re-publishing Alexander's key children's books.

INTERVIEW

October 2006

Alexander McCall Smith, author of the Harriet Bean series, has written more than 50 books for both children and adults. In this interview with Kidsreads.com's Terry Miller Shannon, McCall Smith explains why the idea of a girl with quirky relatives appealed to him and describes two hilarious real-life aunts who provided him with inspiration for them. He also reveals why many of his books tend to revolve around detectives and shares details about his future projects for young readers.

Kidsreads.com: I understand you wrote your first piece for children for a contest (and won!). Can you tell us more about that story? Was it ever published? Did it inspire any of the books that you've released since?

Alexander McCall Smith: That story was called "A Whale for a Night." It was never published in the UK, although it was published in Taiwan in Chinese translation. It was a fairly simple story about a boy and a captive whale --- it did not inspire any of my later books.

KRC: What inspired you to write the Harriet Bean series? Is Harriet Bean or any of her quirky aunts based on people you know or may have come into contact with?

AMS: I rather liked the idea of writing a story about a girl with a lot of aunts. I have a niece called Harriet de Bene, and she has four aunts on my side. Aunts can be great fun, and so I thought I might explore that. I was also inspired, I think, by a friend who had two ancient aunts --- Aunt Joy and Aunt Phoebe. They were real characters --- they drove a car together, by committee, with Aunt Phoebe steering and Aunt Joy changing gear.

KRC: What kind of research did you do for the racehorse theme in HARRIET BEAN AND THE LEAGUE OF CHEATS? Did you talk to any jockeys?

AMS: I'm afraid not! But of course I had read Dick Francis, the great racing writer. Anybody who reads his novels ends up knowing a little bit about horse-racing. (I used to be a very keen rider myself, and as a boy I rode competitively.) I used to be able to stand up on the horse's back, bareback, and gallop.

KRC: Did you travel to America's "wild wild West" as research for THE COWGIRL AUNT OF HARRIET BEAN?

AMS: I flew over it in a plane. However, I did live in Texas once.

KRC: Had you always planned for Harriet Bean to be a series, or did you feel the need to continue her adventures after you wrote the first book?

AMS: I felt the need to do more after I had written the first one.

KRC: The illustrations in the Harriet Bean novels (courtesy of Laura Rankin) are perfect complements to the stories. Do you have any input in these fabulous drawings?

AMS: I was very taken with these drawings, which are lovely. I did not have any input into them, but I do enjoy working with illustrators.

KRC: Many of your books have detectives as main characters. Is there a specific reason why you seem to be drawn to this profession? Or is it mostly because it makes for a compelling story?

AMS: The useful thing about a detective story is that it can bring in all sorts of characters and all sorts of worlds. That, I think, is what appeals to me in this sort of story. Added to that, of course, is the fact that such stories allow for a bit of excitement.

KRC: Do you think your Akimbo books will appeal to Harriet Bean fans? Do the two series share any similarities?

AMS: I think they should appeal. Both have an element of adventure. Both have a reasonably strong central character.

KRC: How do you juggle your many projects since you have so many of them going on at once? Do you outline your books before you begin writing them?

AMS: I have to divide my time very carefully. There are, in general, not enough hours in the day and not enough days in the week. I have a general outline when I start, but then the plot often changes as I write. I think that the characters take over and start dong things the way they want to.

KRC: What were some of your favorite books to read when you were a child? What do you read for pleasure now?

AMS: I loved Kipling, particularly the JUST SO STORIES. I also liked boarding school stories. I like poetry and could recite a great deal of Longfellow's "Hiawatha" - "On the shores of Gitche Gumi... etc etc."

I read fiction now, and also history. I like reading about Scottish history. And I love the poetry of W.H. Auden.

KRC: Did you make up and tell your daughters serial stories when they were small? (I can picture Harriet Bean's adventures evolving this way!)

AMS: Sometimes. But usually the books developed separately.

KRC: What advice do you have for young people who are thinking about pursuing a career in writing?

AMS: Lots of practice! Write stories about things you know about --- your friends, school and the rest. And never give up. Once you finish one story, start with the next.

KRC: What are you working on now, and when can readers expect to see it? Any details about upcoming Harriet Bean mysteries?

AMS: I will do another Akimbo book. And I am planning a number of other books for children, including one that will be a bit longer than my previous books. I'm looking forward to writing that!

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