Meet Jennifer Claessen

Jennifer Claessen’s novel, ‘The October Witches’, is a wonderful mix of mayhem, magic and Arthurian legend, making it the perfect read for this (or any!) time of year. I was lucky enough to meet Jennifer at Cheltenham Literary Festival earlier this month. Her warmth and enthusiasm for books was infectious- and I was delighted when she agreed to join me on the Bookshelf today!

1.       Perhaps an obvious question to start with, but- are you a fan of all things witchy and Hallowe’eny?

Yes! I love all things witchy and always have done. But I’m not a big fan of truly scary stuff – horror films especially anything gory really give me nightmares still. And I remember being terrified of the 90s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Witches (if you know, you know, that one scene scared a lot of kids!). So I prefer kitsch and cute witches rather than horrifying ones. When I do school visits, we also talk a lot about sexism and racism and how that has shaped what we think of as a ‘witch’.

And yes, I love Halloween, again, less for the genuine spooks and more for the magical feel October has. I love costumes too and having a mini Halloween party. I’ve got a super sweet tooth and could eat chocolate literally all day so that might be why I like trick & treating so much!

2.       Your wonderful story, ‘The October Witches’, is full of references to the Arthurian legends. Are these stories you grew up with or ones you have ‘found’ as you got older?

I LOVED the Disney film of The Sword in the Stone but even when little it always struck me that there were no women in it except for Madam Mim (who, it must be said, is an iconic witch too and I tried to pay tribute to her in a particular scene in The October Witches!)

The Arthurian legend in The October Witches actually has a slightly odd source though. Just before having the initial ‘what if’ idea (what if there was magic just for one month?!) I’d finished reading Jamaica Inn by Daphne DuMaurier in which poor Patience Merlyn has a bleak fate. I loved that name (the virtue name, the spelling of Merlyn with a Y) so had it on my mind. And when I started to think about October magic, I knew I wanted Patience Merlyn, still a very patient lady in my book, to have a better fate! And the rest of the aunts sprang from there too because once you’ve got one virtue name, you’ve got to have lots!

As I started to write myself, I went back to T.H.White and reread The Once and Future King and enjoyed it so much. I’ve obviously cherry-picked bits to steal and my ‘King Arthur’ is more of a punchline to a joke than a character but I love a good research project so went quite deep into the myths too. I love how they withstand so many retellings, I think we’ll be writing and rewriting them forever.

3.       Clemmie is a very endearing, relatable character. Is she based on someone you know- or are there elements of yourself to be found in her?

Oh thank you, that’s so kind of you to say. I think her main characteristics at the beginning are her self-consciousness, her loneliness and her frustration with her family, all of which definitely come directly from me! I wanted her to go on a ‘journey’ of overcoming that embarrassment she feels, how silly magic is from the outside… but I don’t think she’s quite finished that journey yet. I’m proud of her though, she’s trying so hard to be kind like her mum. I would definitely be an awkward witch; I find absolutely everything embarrassing. But I’m trying to learn to put myself out there anyway!

4.       If you could have any magical ability, what would you choose?

That’s so tough. Flight. The ability to speak and understand all languages. Extraordinary empathy. Way, way more time than we get on this Earth. I don’t know! Time is important though I think – my witches only ever have temporary magic and how long you have your power for changes everything. If I only had one day of magic, I’d want no one to be hungry, at all, just for that one day. Just that perfect level of satisfied full. I think it would be amazing to see the effect of that.

5.       You can only recommend ONE book to young readers. Which book would it be -and why?

WHAT A QUESTION! Matilda by Roald Dahl maybe? The Northern Lights by Philip Pullman? Diana Wynne Jones! Frances Hardinge!

Maybe I have to leave novels alone and if I can only choose one go for something like Eric by Shaun Tan. I find picture books very powerful and some make me cry every time. Eric is stunningly beautiful and I think I could read it every day and still find new things in it.

6.       What can you tell me about the next book we can expect from you?

Just as I write this now I’ve had new and exciting news but it’s not shareable yet. What a terrible thing to say, sorry! But I’m Writer in Residence at Abney Park, a cemetery-arboretum which is one of my very favourite places in the world. It’s magical and I’ve written a book about it that I’d love to find a home one day. So maybe that? But I have a lot of ideas.

7.       And lastly- and most importantly according to my niece- what is your favourite cake?

Your niece sounds like a very wise person. I eat a lot of cake, it’s an important part of my job as a writer. When carrot cake is good, it is the best thing ever. I love a cream cheese icing. And any cake with pumpkin in has got my vote.

A super light sponge too – I’m not a very good baker so I really admire this. I had a matcha sponge cake in Japan that I still think about sometimes. When I bake myself, my chocolate cakes are ok (not Bake Off levels, but edible!). I make Nigella Lawson’s chocolate Guinness cake and when it won 3rd prize at one of my street’s parties, I was chuffed to bits!

And Dutch cakes are very, very good. Their tarts are called ‘vlaai’ and there are so many delicious ones. Dutch apple cakes have a pastry almost like shortbread, I can’t even describe how amazing it is warm with lots of cinnamon sugar and cream.

Thank you so much, Jennifer, for answering my questions. I have added Abney Park to my list of places I must visit- I had a quick look at their website. It looks fascinating and the perfect place to inspire a book or two! Your cake recommendations have given us plenty of ‘food’ for thought too!

You can find Jennifer on Twitter and Instagram @Jclaessen_

Cheltenham Literature Festival

During the crisp autumnal days of this weekend, I had a wonderful time at Cheltenham Literature Festival. It is one of the highlights of my book-ish calendar and although it has changed quite a lot over the twenty or so years I have been going, the atmosphere is just lovely with so many friendly, helpful people working there and so much to do and see.

If you have time to explore, the town of Cheltenham is well worth exploring. Full of Regency architecture, it has been called 'Britain's most complete Regency Town'. The Pittville Pump Room is a reminder of the town’s fame as a spa town. Overlooking Pittville Park, it is a lovely place to visit and imagine the past! If you don’t have time to make it that far from the Festival site, the Imperial Gardens are lovely spot to walk round or to sit and enjoy the formal gardens. A statue of Holst, the composer, stands in one corner and the house he was born in- the Holst Birthplace Museum- is open to visitors.

Although events are held throughout the town, the Festival site occupies Montpellier Gardens. The first event I attended was held just round the corner in the Queen’s Hotel. Here, an excited audience of super-kids enjoyed a super-session about super-hero, Marv with author, Alex Falase-Koya and illustrator, Paula Bowles. After sharing some of the first story, everyone enjoyed a quiz before learning how to draw Pixel, Marv’s trusty sidekick, and creating new superheros with a wide range of superpowers! You can read my review of Marv’s first two adventures here.

Next, I had the great pleasure of catching up with Lou Fraser and Kate Hindley, whose joyful tale, ‘The Littlest Yak’ won the NSTBA 2021 Picture Book Category. It was so lovely to see them. You can read how to make a salt dough Gertie here, an activity my class really enjoyed!

My final event of the day was Oliver Jeffers, talking with astrophysicist Stephen Smartt about the scale model of the solar system which they created. It was a fascinating event as they discussed this collaboration between art and science and how this then inspired Oliver’s new book, ‘Meanwhile Back on Earth’. The perfect way to end a lovely day!

Sunday dawned bright and beautiful! I was just in time to catch the end of Jennifer Claessen’s talk before going to catch meet up with the lovely Dom Kingston with the equally lovely, Rosie Jones and Jenny Pearson.

I then headed for the ‘Game On’ panel session. Led by Sharna Jackson, Jennifer Bell, Taran Matharu and Matt Plampin (half of Logan Macx). This was a great session, offering plenty to think about for teachers and engaging the keen audience of game-lovers who had plenty of ideas to contribute.

Having bumped into various people and had some lovely conversations, my last event of the day was another panel event- this time about ‘Fantastic Fiction’. Anna James (review for Reading Zone) led the discussion with Annabelle (A F Steadman), Peter Bunzl (review of Magicborn here) and Tolá Okogwu (review for Reading Zone). This was a wonderfully warm event which felt like a chat between friends as they discussed characters, settings and their inspiration. A wonderful way to end a busy weekend.

Already looking forward to next weekend…