Thursday 15 February 2018

A fabulous guest post from Juliette Forrest, author of new gripping Middle Grade novel "Twister" out now from Scholastic Publishing


We're delighted to have a guest post from Juliette Forrest, talking about five inspirational things that help her dream up the fantastic characters and worlds in her fabulous stories.

Without further ado, over to Juliette!



Some people listen to music when they are writing. Not me. I need to surround myself with pictures. I turned my kitchen wall into a mood board when I was working on Twister and this was one of the photos I pinned up. I snapped it not far from my parent’s house. I found the tree quite spooky, which was perfect for one of my characters in the story. It is a sweet chestnut and I have grown quite attached to it now.



This was given to me by an old colleague of mine. We got our very first job together in advertising – she was a copywriter and I was an art director. That was many years ago when an all-female creative team was unusual in the industry. My friend knows I have a busy mind, so having this close by when I am writing reminds me to concentrate on the task at hand.


When I am stuck, or need to figure something out plot-wise, I take the dog for a walk. I always find time away from the laptop works wonders. I love being outdoors and will often weave what I see in the park into the story. I am so deep in thought, my friends have to flap their hands in front of my face before I notice them. I am quite sure they think I am a sandwich short of a picnic.


The chair is a symbol of sitting and watching people. Place me in an airport, train station, library or park bench and I am in seventh heaven. Sometimes, in the theatre, I will be looking at the audience instead of the actors. People are a never-ending source of great inspiration and writing material for me.




Meet my dad. As you can tell from this ancient photo, having a sense of humour was a must in our household. I am forever thankful for the stories he used to read out at bedtime. No Roald Dhal or Enid Blyton for me. I was held spellbound by authors and poets such as Laurie Lee, Dylan Thomas and Norman MacCaig.


Twister by Juliette Forrest is available now , published by Scholastic Children's Books.