ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
KENT AUTHOR PROFILE
A . F . STEADMAN
PROUD KENT LOCAL AND BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF THE BELOVED SKANDER SERIES , A . F . STEADMAN SHARES WITH US HER LONG-STANDING LOVE OF LITERATURE AND DESIRE TO CREATE BOOKS THAT PROVIDE THE ULTIMATE ESCAPE FOR ALL READERS AS SHE CELEBRATES HER LATEST RELEASE .
What led to you becoming an author ? Kent County Libraries . By age eight , I was borrowing 10 books a week from Deal or Sandwich library - most of them tales of adventures in fantasy worlds . Some of my favourites were the Earthsea novels by Ursula Le Guin , as well as Phillip Pullman ’ s His Dark Materials . As a teenager , I then started to write my own books and the dream of becoming an author wrapped itself around my heart . Then , with my Skandar series , it finally happened following a whirlwind publisher auction and film rights acquired by Sony Pictures . I could never have achieved this without those early years borrowing books from Kent County Libraries .
You share your pride in your Kentish roots with you fans , particularly in your latest release ; how has growing up in Kent inspired your writing ? The Kent countryside has played a large role in influencing parts of the landscape featured in the Skandar series . The story takes place on the Island , which has a terrain that mirrors the four elements – fire , water , earth and air . As a child , I spent a lot of time outside , scribbling stories in notebooks , and Kent had a lot to offer as elemental inspiration , from stunning beaches to winding rivers and magical woodlands . Skandar Smith – the main character in the series – is from Margate ; it ’ s really lovely to meet readers at book signings in Kent and see their excitement when they discover their favourite unicorn rider comes from the same county as they do !
Tell us a little about your latest book , Skandar and the Skeleton Curse ; what can our readers expect ? Skandar and the Skeleton Curse is the fourth book in the Skandar series . It follows Skandar and his friends as they continue their training as unicorn riders . If you ’ re new to the series , it ’ s worth mentioning that these unicorns are not cute , glittery or fluffy – they are ferocious , magical and deadly . In this latest instalment , a terrible curse threatens the unicorns of the Island and Skandar must work with his friends to stop it before it ’ s too late . Expect elemental power , banned magic , ancient secrets , sky battles , fierce friendships and bloodthirsty unicorns – my hope is that readers will be staying up late to finish this penultimate book in the series !
Have you always been more drawn to writing children ’ s novels and creating immersive mythical worlds ? When I sat down to write Skandar and the Unicorn Thief , I don ’ t think I really thought of it as a children ’ s book until later in the process . For me , books have always been about escapism . In the modern , fastpaced world we live in , I really believe that reading for pleasure is vital to our wellbeing and the fantasy genre works so well for children in particular because this isn ’ t just a book about the magic of warrior unicorns . It ’ s also a book about growing up , friendship , the importance of surrounding yourself with people who love you for who you are , learning how to do the right thing even when it ’ s hard , and finding your place in the world even when it isn ’ t exactly where you expected . All the important things that I ’ m still learning , even as an adult .
What ’ s next ? After celebrating the publication of Skandar and the Skeleton Curse and returning from my nationwide tour , I ’ ll be working on the fifth Skandar book , as well as my first novel for adults , TimeLess , which features time-travelling assassins !
Skandar and the Skeleton Curse ( book four ) is out now in hardback published by Simon & Schuster .
www . afsteadman . com
26 • www . insidekent . co . uk