13 Questions shine Operation Awesome's Spotlight
on this
2022 Debut Author
Duckling by Eve Ainsworth
Today's author has gone from children's books to debut in books for adults.
1- Duckling is your debut into adult books. What was the motivation to write for this age group?
I’ve always wanted to write a book for adults and have been playing around with a few ideas for a while. Then one day I was sitting in the bath and suddenly wondered “what would I do if someone asked me to look after their child and then didn’t come back? What if I suspected they were a good person but calling the police could cause problems for them…”
And the idea for Duckling was born
2- Would you please, in 160 characters or less, give a #WriteTip ?
My main writing tip is quite a boring one, but it’s to try and write a bit every day. Even if it’s just a few words - get them down! Don’t delete, don’t read back. You can do the editing later! Just concentrate on getting words on the page.
3- What emotions do you hope your book will evoke for the reader?
I hope that readers will feel empathy for my characters and perhaps widen their understanding for people living in tricky and complex situations. I also wanted to break some of the tropes involving working class characters and show the positive side of living in these communities.
I want readers to be moved but also to feel ultimately uplifted.
4- Are there plans to make Duckling available for sale in other coutries?
I would love Duckling to be sold in other countries! I know my publishers are working hard to try and make that happen, so fingers crossed!
5- Would you share a picture with us of your book somewhere fun?
6- How do you support your fellow debut authors and have any of them supported you?
I supported other authors by setting up the Debut2022 group on Twitter and Facebook. Im so proud of this group and how supportive and kind we are to one another. Being an author can be a lonely business so it’s important to reach out to others. I also set up the Working Class Writers network to support writers from underprivileged backgrounds.
7- Time to double-down on social media! What's your Twitter handle, and do you have two or three writer friends on there to shout-out to for #WriterWednesday ?
Also, can you please recommend a favorite #bookstagram account profile?
My Twitter handle is @eveainsworth and my Instagram is @eveainsworth
I’d love to shout out @EmmaPassAuthor @CaronMcKinlay and @morganowenya
I want to boost @icarriebooks
8- What is your favorite creative non-writing activity to do?
For downtime I love reading! Cooking! Walking my dog and sewing (I’m just learning how to properly)
9- In what ways are the main characters in your book diverse? diversebooks.org #WeNeedDiverseBooks
I have diverse characters in Duckling as it’s set on a south London estate. It’s also working class as I’m a working class author and the main character, Lucy is socially awkward like me (possibly neurodiverse). Afro Caribbean and African characters in the book (as supporting character).
10- What's the biggest writing goal you hope to accomplish in your lifetime? #WriteGoal #BucketList #WriterBucketList
I would love to see one of books turned into a film or TV show. That’s the ultimate I think.
11- What was the query process like for you?
I had a long query process because I had to find a new agent to represent my adult book (my previous agent only looked after my childrens books) it was a very up and down journey and lots of tears were shed, but I never gave up! Fortunately Duckling was taken on it the end
12- Would you please ask our audience an intriguing question to answer in the comments?
What do you think of the title Duckling? What sort of book do you think this will be?
13- Anything else you would care to share about your book and yourself?
Bio:
Eve Ainsworth is a working class award-winning and Carnegie nominated children’s author who has written for both middle grade and teen readers. Her debut novel for adults, Duckling, will be published by Penguin Random House in spring 2022.
Eve has vast experience working as a public speaker and creative workshop coordinator for schools, libraries and other events both nationally and internationally. She also is an experienced mentor and is very passionate about helping those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Eve was born and raised in Crawley, West Sussex and is one of seven children. After her degree, she had a varied background working within HR and Recruitment roles, before landing a job she loved – mentoring and supporting challenging and vulnerable students in a large secondary school. This inspired her first teen book 7 Days. Eve is fiercely proud of her working class roots and her large, loud family. She still lives in Crawley with her husband, two young children and crazy pets.
Eve Ainsworth -- Amazon
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