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Mel Taylor-Bessent

Mel talks about how to make writing fun, how to inject humour into stories, and how to spread festive cheer all year

About The Author:

Founder of Authorfy and Little Star Writing, Mel Taylor-Bessent has made her career connecting readers to their favourite authors and encouraging children to write for pleasure. After gaining a Creative Writing degree, Mel launched her first business at the age of 22 and ran creative writing workshops for thousands of children aged 6-12. Mel hosts the 'Write for Fun' YouTube channel where she adds new videos every week to inspire children to write for pleasure, and she uses the same methods and prompts to inspire her own books, The Christmas Carrolls and Race to Imagination Island.

 

About The Christmas Carrolls:

Wish it could be Christmas every day? Well, for nine-year-old Holly Carroll and her family, it is! Living her merriest life in a house with year-round fairy lights and Christmas trees, a carol-singing toilet and a diva donkey who thinks he’s a reindeer, home-educated Holly tries to spread cheer wherever she goes. But when she goes to a new school with a singing Santa backpack and first day Christmas cards (during a heatwave in September!), she realises not everyone shares her enthusiasm for spreading cheer. In fact, when the neighbours try to remove the Carrolls from the street and Holly discovers a group of children that may not get a Christmas at all, her snowglobe world begins to crack. Is the world’s most Christmassy girl about to lose her Christmas spirit?

 

About Race to Imagination Island:

The time has come for four children to be named the new Protectors of Imagination Island. Children all over the world scour the globe in search of lightstreams (portals) to the magical island where anything they imagine comes to life. To become a Protector, they must compete in teams and complete a series of challenges to prove they have what it takes. Dreamy 10-year-old Luca is afraid of everything, not least the lightstream he stumbles into by accident. Imagination Island is everything that he’s terrified of. But there’s no way out. So he hits on a plan. Work out how to come LAST, and get sent home. That’s what he really wants. Isn’t it? The Race is ON!

 

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What is 'Race to Imagination Island' about?

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How would you describe the book in 10 words?

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What inspired you to write 'Race to Imagination Island'?

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A reading from 'Race to Imagination Island'

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Who is your favourite character in 'Race to Imagination Island'?

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How long did it take to write 'Race to Imagination Island'?

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Who illustrated 'Race to Imagination Island?'

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What can you tell us about the rest of the 'Race to Imagination Island' series?

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Can you tell us something we might not know about 'Race to Imagination Island'?

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What are the rules of the Race?

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What would you imagine if you were on the island?

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An Introduction to 'The Christmas Carrolls'

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The Inspiration behind 'The Christmas Carrolls'

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A Reading from 'The Christmas Carrolls'

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Mel's Creative Writing Challenge

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What can you tell us about Holly?

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Do you have any activity ideas to make writing fun?

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Do you have any advice when it comes to writing funny scenes?

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What are some of the themes in 'The Christmas Carrolls'?

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What was your favourite chapter to write?

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How long did it take to get 'The Christmas Carrolls' published?

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What can you tell us about the illustrations?

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Resource Download: 'Race to Imagination Island' Extract

Resource Download: 'The Christmas Carrolls' Extract

Resource Download: 'The Christmas Competition' Extract

Resource Download: 'The Christmas Club' Extract