Jojo’s Wire Car was published in June 2014 – was this your first book? To anyone that has not read it how would you describe it? No, this was my fourth book, by this point I had already self-published Landy, Fender and Landy’s New Home so it was a break from the Landybooks. All of these life experiences – as well as holidays on South African farms and game reserves as a child – have also helped shape my books. I also worked as a carer for young adults on the autistic spectrum and ran creative workshops for them. I ran a house for teenagers with learning difficulties, I taught art, English and maths in an out of school centre for children who were chronic truants and young offenders. What did you do before writing and illustrating novels? I looked after children who had been through difficult times, in a Steiner special school. The sketch at the top of page shows the cover of Fender Goes to Africa in progress When I was 14 I read The Lost World of the Kalahari by Laurence van der Post, which made me want to go exploring Africa in a Land Rover, but sadly, I have never had the time to do it – I guess I did it vicariously by writing about Dan and Fender travelling in Africa! My mother Ruth Keech was a poet, so writing was something that was always going on around me. My Zulu nanny with her warm, relaxed nature was a wonderfully creative person who helped inspire my own creativity. I first worked in the Cotswolds and then in Scotland, before I moved to Cornwall in 1979.ĭid your early memories of South Africa have any influence on your books? Yes, Africa is in my blood. When did you move to the UK? I came to the UK when I was 19 with £50, a rucksack and the excitement of starting life in a new country. You were born and grew up in Durban, South Africa, but spent most of your adult life in Cornwall. We are thrilled to grab a few hours with 62-year-old Veronica to talk about this book and her career so far. Her well-loved series of books have sold more than 70,000 copies to date and she has just released her latest book – Fender Goes to Africa, as well as a teaching resource pack for primary schools. For those of you with children, you may be familiar with the author and illustrator Veronica Lamond, who, through the lovable, animated characters of Landy, a 1956 Series I, and Fender, a 1999 Defender, brings Land Rovers to life for little girls and boys.
0 kommentar(er)
