Have we got a yummy treat for you here today. Our guest blogger is the debut author Laurel Remington and she’s going to tell you all about her prize winning book, The Secret Cooking Club. Laurel’s scummy book published this month after winning the Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Award 2015. Welcome to GHB Laurel.
Whipping up a story
Close your eyes and think of a cake . . . what does it look like; how does it smell when it first comes out of the oven; how does that first bite taste? Is it rich chocolate devil’s food cake, or tangy cinnamon carrot cake, or maybe soft, mouth-watering Victoria sponge? Did you bake it yourself or was it a surprise on a special occasion? Yum . . .!
I’m lucky – while writing The Secret Cooking Club I got to think about cake quite a lot! Writing a novel can be a bit like baking a cake. The basic recipe is simple – you need a beginning, a middle, and an end. The ingredients can be just about anything your imagination comes up with, which is why writing can be so much fun.
The idea for The Secret Cooking Club was inspired by my daughters, who love to cook and bake (and make a big mess!). I wanted to write about a secret club, that helps change the lives of its members in a good way. Those were the basic ingredients for the story. I then added to the mix the main character – Scarlett – a twelve year-old girl who doesn’t have many friends. What she does have is a big problem with her mum. Her mum writes a blog that tells everyone the embarrassing details of Scarlett’s life and puts it all over the internet!
As soon as I began writing the book, I could hear Scarlett’s voice speaking out about how bad she feels, and about how she wishes she could change her life. Once I got started, I just had to keep going in order to help Scarlett out of her dilemma! Oh, and did I mention – there’s a lot of delicious food that I got to write about too . . .
I hope you enjoy reading The Secret Cooking Club, and that it might inspire you to take a risk and try something new. If you do, I’d love to hear about it! Get in touch via my website – and if you happen to try cooking or baking something – do send me a photo!
Happy baking . . . and reading!
The Secret Cooking Club by Laurel Remington out now in paperback (£6.99, Chicken House)
Thanks for sharing the secret ingredients of writing your book, Laurel. Visit Laurel’s website to learn more about her and her scrumptious recipes.
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