November Artist of the Month –Tamsyn Murray
Our November ‘Artist of the Month’ is author Tamsyn Murray.
About Tamsyn Murray
Tamsyn Murray is the award-winning author of many books for children, teens and adults. Her books have been translated into more than twenty languages. When she’s not writing she is usually found running, baking or walking her dog.
What a visit from Tamsyn entails
Tamsyn offers events across Key Stages 1-4. She is happy to deliver a whole school assembly at Primary level, or split into Key Stages as required and her events are always fun and interactive, with an emphasis on encouraging reading for pleasure.
Tamsyn uses a Powerpoint presentation to explain the inspiration behind her books and talks about her road to becoming a writer. The children will be have the opportunity to take part in the talk – perhaps playing Tamsyn herself in ‘Stunt Bunny: The Play’, or becoming the prey of a voracious big cat at Tanglewood Animal Park, or even acting out the functions of the human circulatory system. The session ends with a Q&A and a book signing.
She also offers creative writing workshops involving a number of artifacts to inspire the children to create a story plan they can then use to write a story. This is a 60 minute session aimed at Year 4 and up (maximum of 30 children per workshop) but it can stretch to 90 minutes if required.
Tamsyn can deliver a maximum of four sessions in one day, where an assembly/author talk/60 minute workshop counts as one session.
Details can be found on her author page.
Interview with Tamsyn Murray
You have written a wide range of books, are those for younger readers easier to write or do they all take the same amount of planning?
Writing for younger readers is really hard so those stories take the most work. You have to keep your reader firmly in mind – thinking about what they will understand, how important the story structure is and their grasp of grammar and vocabulary. Picture books are the hardest of all – the story has to be just exactly right and work when read aloud.
Animals feature in a lot of your books, do you have a soft spot for animals? If so, any particular animal your favourite?
Ah, you’ve got me there – I do love animals! I’m not sure I could choose just one as a favourite but I am a sucker for a long furry tail, so perhaps snow leopards. Or wolves. Something fluffy, anyway – I’m not a big fan of anything that skitters.
Since we have just had Halloween and some of your books feature ghosts, what’s the spookiest thing that has ever happened to you/that you were told about?
I try to keep an open mind about ghosts! When I was younger, we lived in a house with two doors in a bedroom – when you opened one door, the other one would rattle as though someone had just left the room. I always assumed that was a ghost and who’s to say it wasn’t?
Your YA book ‘Instructions for a second hand heart’ (honestly one of my favourite YA novels of all time –Yvonne, Head of UK Author visits) won some awards when it was released. Is it still a book you talk about a lot and find as popular today?
That’s very kind of you! I’m always glad when people tell me they enjoyed that particular book because it was very difficult to write. It took me four years because there was a lot of research and the storyline made me cry but I’m very proud that I persevered. It still gets a lot of love on school visits, which obviously weren’t possible for a while, and I’m enjoying talking about it now that I’m getting back into schools again.
Did you have to do a lot of research about medical issues surrounding organ donation to write ‘Instructions for a second hand heart’?
Ah, see previous answer! I did, yes – I spoke to the head of organ donation in the UK, to make sure I got the sequence of events right, and watched a series of real-life BBC shows based in Great Ormond Street Hospital. The story was read by several doctors, plus someone from The Samaritans, and overall, the book went through more than nine edits. Hopefully, I got it right by the end.
What is your favourite thing about visiting schools?
Absolutely no question – the interaction with readers. It is such a buzz to see their faces light up when you say something that resonates, or makes them think. That’s what invigorates me; I come away from every school visit exhausted but happy to have connected with children and young people. It’s good to be reminded who I’m writing for.
What do you think schools and their students get from hosting an author visit?
There’s nothing more inspirational for readers than hearing an author who’s passionate about books and no one is more passionate about a book than the person who wrote it. If you want to get your students fired up about reading, an author visit is the way to go. They’ll be talking about it for weeks.
Do you have fond memories of school when you were younger? Did you enjoy writing stories then?
Oh, I was always a writer, always had a story on the go. And I did enjoy school, especially when we had time to write stories – mine were usually passed around the class because people enjoyed reading them. I still have some of my GCSE English coursework – it needs a good edit!
You look to take some interesting props or costumes into your primary school visits – do you know any tricks or skills that impress the younger pupils?
I really enjoy making my author visits as interactive as possible, so I’m always looking for ways to help kids engage. I’ve been known to recreate the human circulatory system using red and blue balls and an awful lot of students – if they didn’t move the balls fast enough in the right direction then the brain died! But my most in demand talent is probably balloon modelling, although I can only make swords and poodles. I once spent a whole hour doing that at a festival, because the parents had got the idea that’s what I was there for…
You have a lot of acting experience, do you find this helps with your school visits?
It really does. Being a confident speaker and knowing how to project your voice so it reaches the back of the room without a microphone is really helpful. And I can generally hold the audience’s attention, which comes from being centre stage in my acting. It also means I can talk tech-free if I have to, which is a big bonus when the laptop won’t connect…
You also deliver our A.I.M High Writing days for us, what do you enjoy about these and how do they differ from your author visits?
I really love spending a whole day with the same group of children, guiding them through brainstorming, planning and writing their story. We cover some complex techniques but it’s such a boost when I see them getting it. And of course the very best moment of the day comes just after lunch, when they’re writing their stories and all I can hear is the furious scritch of pencils as they write. The whole day is such a joy – my favourite school visits.
What book do you think everyone should read in their lifetime?
You know, I’m not a big fan of being prescriptive about reading – a lot of my favourite books aren’t classics or must-reads. Instead, I think everyone should find the book that opens the door to the joy of reading for pleasure. For me, that was The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner.
What do you do if you start a story and then it runs out of steam? Give up, leave it for a bit or persevere?
I am a big believer in perseverance, but also in letting things bubble in your subconscious. Sometimes inspiration comes from the most unexpected places, you just have to be open to it.
What are you working on at the moment?
I’ve just started my eighth book for adults (writing as Holly Hepburn) so that’s my main project but I’m hoping to finish a book for 5–8-year-olds soon and perhaps revisit a middle grade story that’s been bubbling away for a while. Plenty to keep me busy!
What advice would you give to someone who would like to become a children’s author?
My biggest piece of advice is always to read, read, read in the age range or genre you want to write for. So many writers try to write stories like the ones they loved in their childhood and don’t pay attention to what readers want now.
Quick Fire
Cats or dogs?
Dogs (but only just)
Would you prefer to be able to read fly or turn invisible?
Ooooh, invisibility! Imagine all the mischief I could make…
Last thing that made you laugh?
An Instagram reel about a dog dressed as a ghost – never not funny
Comedy or horror film?
Comedy – I love to laugh and like sleeping at night
Do you get more excited for your birthday or Christmas?
Christmas
If you were Prime Minister for the day, what law would you introduce?
That everyone gets one day a month to stay in bed and read
Arrange for Tamsyn Murray to visit your school
To make an enquiry about Tamsyn, or any of the other authors, poets & illustrators listed on this website, please get in touch. Our office number is +44 (0) 1535 656015,
UK visits
Email: UKbookings@caboodlebooks.co.uk
Or contact Head of UK Visits, Yvonne - 01535 279850
Overseas Visits
Email:Overseasvisits@caboodlebooks.co.ukooks.co.uk
Or contact Overseas Manager, Robin - +44(0) 1535 279853