Jaclyn Moriarty's fantasy series, A Bronte Mettlestone Adventure, is a perfect rollercoaster ride for 9+ readers who love an imaginative, magical adventure. In the first in the series, The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone, readers are introduced to a wonderfully intricate world of witches, elves and water sprites - and a feisty hero, Bronte. This is followed by The Slightly Alarming Tales of the Whispering Wars, The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst and The Astonishing Chronicles of Oscar from Elsewhere, all set within the same magical world. The stories work perfectly as standalone adventures but once you've read one, you'll be desperate to read all four! And they make a handsome collection, with striking artwork on the covers by Karl James Mountford, who also drafts a detailed map for readers to pore over.
Jaclyn tells us more about her sparkling series...
Q. Which of the characters in the Kingdoms and Empires series is most like you? And which one of them would you most like to be like?
A. I think I’m most like Esther from The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst. She’s dreamy, likes to write stories, enjoys intense adventures with friends, and is a middle sister. (I’m actually the second child of six, which makes me a senior family member—but still, essentially a middle child). And I’d like to resemble Oscar (because he’s a lot cooler, and more chill than I am, and a champion skateboarder) or Aunt Alys (because she’s calm, competent, a drummer, and a queen).
Q. One of the pleasures of the books are the deep bonds of friendship and family between the characters (not that they don’t argue of course). How important is that to you and how much fun are they to write?
A. Thank you! I think one of the most profound pleasures—and the point, actually—of life is in the connections we form with family (original or chosen) and friends. I’ve always been very close to my four sisters, and a lot of the love, pride, loyalty, tension, fury, exasperation (and so on…) between the characters is inspired by our sibling relationships. Also, I’ve lived in a few different countries and found soul-mate friendships in unexpected places (helpful when I feel like talking to a friend but it’s 3 am in my own time zone). So I really like the idea of my characters finding their people in other worlds.
Q. There are some wonderful opponents, or baddies, in the books. Do you have a favourite villain?
A. I like the Sterling Silver Foxes. They appear to be tall, thin, regular people with sharp points to their ears; they’re elegant, cunning and wear plenty of jewellery; and they can steal your laughter.
Q. The jacket designs are works of art and as a set, the books look stunning together. How important do you think a book cover is and did you work with Karl James Mountford on the design?
A. I always remember that my first book, Feeling Sorry for Celia, was published in the UK (over twenty years ago) with a bright yellow lemon on the cover. Lemons played no role in the book, although at one point a character mentions making a lemon soufflé. So even though it looked striking I was a bit doubtful about the publishers’ choice. But I’m still getting messages from readers telling me, ‘the reason I picked up this book was the bright yellow lemon on the cover’. That was a good lesson to me in how important a striking cover is—and Karl’s covers aren’t just striking, they also capture the spirit of the books! They are works of art and should be framed on walls. Even as I type this, I’m shaking my head in amazement at his talent, and at my great good luck in having him illustrate these books. (Another lucky thing is that illustrator Kelly Canby creates equally magnificent, yet completely different art for the Australian editions, and Jim Tierney’s covers for the US editions are stunning.)
Q. Were you a keen reader as a child?
A. I never stopped reading! We didn’t have a tv, and Mum took us to the library every week. There was a fountain outside the library and each week I would look for Gangles, the little girl who danced on a fountain, from one of my favourite storybooks. I was obsessed with the Green Fairy Books etc, and the Mary Poppins series. At home, we had a shelf of Mum’s childhood books too- Heidi, Pollyanna, the Bobbsey Twins. I just got a thrill of pleasure thinking of them.
Q. Was there a favourite book that got you through your teenage years?
A. I loved YA authors like Robert Cormier, John Marsden and Judy Blume (I took a train from Sydney to Queensland, aged 14, and sobbed for much of the journey reading Judy Blume’s, Tiger Eyes – I remember other passengers looking at me oddly). But I think the books that got me through my teenage years were children’s classics, like The Phoenix and the Carpet. I re-read them to completely retreat from all the turmoil of being a teenager.
Q. If you hadn't been an author what would have been your dream job?
A. Astronaut. (Only theoretically—I was terrible at science, and the whole thing sounds very unpleasant, physically. If it was just looking at the stars though..)
Q. What are you working on now?
A. I’ve just finished the next book in the A Bronte Mettlestone Adventure series, The Secret of Lillian Velvet (about a girl from our world who receives a pickle jar filled with gold coins for her tenth birthday and begins to find herself being transported into different times and places for short, unexpected adventures). I’ve written the first chapter of a book about Astrid Mettlestone-Staranise, who is going to find herself accidentally thrown from the Kingdoms and Empires into our world.
And I’m also finalising a draft of a time travel novel for adults called The Tango Dancer’s Guide to Stopping Time.
Hold onto your hats for a delightful ride through this charming and original magical adventure series. Find all four books below with reviews and an extract of the first chapter - and that all important map!
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