Interview: Children's author Carol Hunt

Please welcome children's author Carol Hunt, creator of the wonderful Portland Chronicles Series which has enchanted children across the region.

To start, please could you tell us a bit about yourself and your writing.

The amazing world of books has always been an important part of my life. I was very lucky that part of my degree in English Literature and History at the University of Chichester involved creative writing. I worked in publishing after graduation and for several years I wrote poetry. I eventually found that the form and discipline of poetry determined how I structured my novels for children, especially Enchantment of the Black Dog which has poetic themes running through the story.

What was your journey to publication like?

I invented a sea dragon for the Isle of Portland based on local legends about the Veasta, a Chesil Beach sea monster. A local book shop loved the idea and urged me to take it further. Roving Press had recently published The Spirit of Portland; I contacted them with a synopsis and a couple of chapters and Julie, editor at Roving Press, loved the sea dragon idea and the adventurous young character of Isabel.

To what extent does your local area (Dorset/Somerset) influence your writing?
The Isle of Portland was one of the most important characters in my stories and I tried to show its complexity and unique qualities; the quarries, the shipwrecks and fascinating maritime history (including pirates which I developed in Portland Pirates), lighthouses and castles. 

Who are you favourite local authors?
There are some recent local histories that I’ve found inspiring:-

The Spirit of Portland: Revelations of a Sacred Isle by Gary Biltcliffe, From the Stone Age to King George III: A History of Weymouth & Its Neighbours by AA Collier  and The Crabchurch Conspiracy 1645: The True Story of Dorset's Bloodiest Secret by Mark Vine are among my favourites.

Do you have a favourite book set in the local area?

Kit Berry’s Stonewylde series fascinates me and I’ve also recently enjoyed a couple of novels set on Portland; Isle of Larus by Kathy Sharp and Phoenix House by Carenza Hayhoe and Tiffany Scull. Classic novels Moonfleet by JM Falkner and The Well-Beloved by Thomas Hardy are also great favourites.

Where can people find out a bit more about you and your writing?

@islandseadragon on Twitter, The Portland Sea Dragon on Facebook and at www.carolhunt.co.uk.

What are you working on at the moment?

I am working on a story for young people set in and around the Dorchester area, especially the historic hills of the Dorset Ridgeway. I am running the influences of social media across this new novel; Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr have changed the way that we interact with the written word and I am fascinated by this. I began to explore this multimedia idea in The Portland Giant and I would like to take it further in my new novel.

Where can we buy your books?

On Portland, my books are available from: - The Lobster Pot, Portland Bill; Portland Museum; Quiddles Cafe at Chesil Cove; Portland Castle; Cards n Celebrations, Easton and White Stones Cafe and Gallery. In Weymouth, from WH Smiths in St Mary Street, and in Dorchester and Bridport from Waterstone’s Booksellers. You can also buy The Portland Chronicles online from Amazon and my publisher, Roving Press.