Laura James is the author of The Daily Bark early middle grade series for kids, which features a group of canine journalists. She lives in Dorset, UK.
Q: What inspired you to write The Daily Bark series, and how did you create your canine cast of characters?
A: I am very much a dog person as are most of my family, so I grew up surrounded by dogs.
Many of the News Hounds in The Daily Bark series are either based on dogs I’ve known or have a mixture of characteristics from dogs I’ve met.
I might use a friend’s dog’s name, for example, but somehow, with a bit of daydreaming, that name gets assigned to a dog totally unlike the original inspiration. Ultimately my imagination takes its own course.
As for the dogs being journalists, well, my own dogs are often a source of inspiration so I wondered if the tables were turned, what it would be like if they started writing? And so the series began to take shape in my mind.
Q: What do you think Charlie Alder’s illustrations add to the books?
A: Charlie’s illustrations are just so charming. The books are for children who are generally early on in their reading journey so fun illustrations aid understanding and make the printed page less intimidating.
But I think the best way they add to the experience of the story is the humour Charlie brings. Visual gags are often the best way to get a laugh, especially when the image contradicts what the words are saying.
I write, for example, what a great plan the characters have and Charlie’s illustrations may show that clearly at least one character thinks they’re doomed just by a raised eyebrow.
A look or a gesture between the characters in the illustrations can so effortlessly add depth to the narrative. Besides, they’re so cute, you can’t help but love them!
Q: How would you describe the relationships among the various dogs?
A: Gizmo, a dachsie, is the editor-in-chief. He’s new to the village of Puddle, and as a city boy still has a lot to learn about country ways.
Fortunately, he has Jilly, an Irish Wolfhound (who knows everyone) to help him. She’s big and might look scary to some but she’s a gentle soul who keeps the News Hounds together.
Then there’s Bunty, a Bassett Hound, who lives on a farm and understands the weather. She usually manages to keep her cool despite having a fly called Fliss who buzzes around her, constantly.
Bob, the station master’s dog, likes things to be orderly. He keeps everyone in check. A greyhound named Lola takes life at 100 mph and keeps the gang energised. Finally, Bruno, a German Shepherd who lives at the beauty salon, makes sure everyone looks good! So they all bring something different to the group.
Q: What do you hope kids take away from the stories?
A: The most important thing to me is that they have fun reading the books. I was a real bookworm as a kid but I know many children aren’t. They’ll never get into reading if it isn’t an enjoyable and entertaining thing to do.
I hope they fall in love with the characters and the adventures they go on. That’s the goal.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m currently writing the fourth book in my series, Fabio: The World’s Greatest Flamingo Detective. I also have a new idea about a snail and a centipede but that one’s still brewing so I can’t say more about that at the moment.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Apart from The Daily Bark series and Fabio I have a series about Pug, who is, as you might imagine, a pug! The first book in the series is Captain Pug. It was the first series I wrote and is illustrated by the amazing Eglantine Ceulemans. The Fabio series is illustrated by Emily Fox.
I’ve been so lucky with all my illustrators and Bloomsbury, my publisher, makes the books of such high quality that hopefully they’ll become lovely collectables for readers.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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