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Lisa J. Allen - Children's Author and Biscuit Eater

  • Writer: litkidsmagazine
    litkidsmagazine
  • 8 minutes ago
  • 3 min read

Lisa J. Allen lives in Liverpool, UK, with her husband, two mini bookworms and a perpetually hungry black cat. In a past life, she was a business journalist and a college librarian. Her middle-grade fiction and poetry usually feature baked goods, comedy and mythical, magical mayhem. The first two books in the Undercover Angel trilogy are available now.


1. Where do you get your ideas from?

The world around me, the people I meet, the things that happen to my family and… the weird and wonderful world inside my head! But the initial idea for the Undercover Angel trilogy (a comedy adventure for ages 9 to 12) came from a discussion with my daughter about what kind of character hadn’t really been seen before – so grumpy tweenager and trainee angel Phoebe Speedwell was born! 


2. Would you and your main character get along?

I think all my characters contain a little bit of me, so I’d get along with all of them! Phoebe and I could share stories about how weird people are; I’d bond with Phoebe’s BFF Chloe over our love of cute kittens; and I’d have a great time with Aunty Agnes, her 13 cats and her best friend, Betty-from-the-Co-op, because we could have a good old chat over a big pot of tea!


3. What part of your job do you have the most fun doing?

Definitely the actual writing part. I love disappearing into my characters’ lives and worlds and seeing where they take me. After that, the editing part is probably my favourite, because that’s when the book really likes to shine.


4. Where do you like to write?

I have a very old sofa in my kitchen that I set myself up on with my laptop, lots of cushions, a blanket and my black cat, Charlie. It’s perfectly positioned near the kettle and the cookie jar.


5. What is your schedule like when you’re writing a book?

I have to have a completely empty day in a completely empty house to be able to write. Which obviously doesn’t happen very often! But I really hate writing in tiny, short bursts because I just can’t get into it. So I drop the kids at school, go home, have a cup of tea, scroll social media, get another cup of tea… eventually I start writing and am usually in full flow when it’s time to collect the kids again!


6. What’s your favorite genre to write?

I love writing middle grade because I think you can be as silly as you like, and I find the length just right for me. But I’m thinking of moving up into a lower teens bracket, as long as I can keep up the comedy! I don’t think I could write a serious book.


7. Do you play music while you write — and, if so, what’s your favorite?

Yes, I listen to Classic FM because it’s peaceful and not too intrusive. I can’t really listen to music with words in as I find that too distracting.


8. Have pets ever gotten in the way of your writing?

Yes, my cat Charlie is always trying to get on my lap when I’m writing, which doesn’t work very well since I use a laptop… Sometimes he manages to squeeze in and then I’m reaching round him to type!


9. Do you prefer ebooks, printed books, or audiobooks most of the time?

Print book, always. I don’t want to read ebooks because I spend too much time on screens, and I find audiobooks difficult to follow because I get distracted and end up thinking about something else and missing whole chunks!


10. Do you let people read your work before it is finished?

Yes! My children read it – they are highly critical, so that’s useful… And I’m part of a group of writers who read each other’s work too. It’s scary, but so useful to have other people read your work and point out the obvious issues that somehow you couldn’t see!

 

11. Do you write on the computer or freehand?

I always write on the computer, because I make so many changes along the way. I’m always reading back over parts and changing them, moving them, adding to them. I can’t imagine writing freehand – I don’t think my hand could keep up with my brain!


Lisa, thanks for chatting with our audience about your journey as an author! Please follow Lisa on social media and check out her novel, Undercover Angel: Crash Landing, in our Bookshop. Keep shining!







 
 
 
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