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- Credit – Andrew Smith
In a bygone time before mass mask wearing, overly sanitised hands and the great supermarket toilet roll wars life was simpler, so much so that it was easy to define 2019 locally as the year of the Hatt. That’s a reference to Sevenoaks author Jemma Hatt’s prolific work and rise as a children’s author with her The Adventurers series.
CommunityAd couldn’t possibly publish what 2020 was the year of, as it is against our policy to swear, but speaking to the sublime Sevenoaks author she says “I think 2020 has brought personal challenges for us all. It’s been a mixed year of highs and lows for me; but I’m grateful to still be here writing books for children to enjoy.”
2020 brought the first and hopefully last national lockdown, many of us turned to creative endeavours to pass the time and Jemma was no different as she tells us “after a writing slump at the start of lockdown I managed to draft two new books which I’m excited to share soon! Otherwise, in my free time I’ve been doing lots of walking! Sadly, my cooking is just as awful as it was before all this time at home”.
If you’re going be locked down anywhere Sevenoaks is right up there on the dream list, isn’t it?
Yes indeed; there are so many beautiful places to explore on our doorstep where social distancing isn’t an issue. I’ve enjoyed visiting Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, the North Downs and Knole Park amongst other places.
I noticed you’ve been liaising with schools who are reading your books; that must feel great to get the feedback direct from the target audience?
During lockdown my readership has really grown exponentially, it came as quite a surprise. I’ve received a lot of emails from parents and children to say that they read the whole series over the past few months and have enjoyed the humour, fun and escapism of the books. My readers are the absolute best and it’s such an honour to write these stories for them. It always makes my day when I hear that families have enjoyed the books, or that a school librarian has picked one as their ‘book of the month’.
The Q&As you’ve been having on your website are from the children, right? What’s the best question you’ve been asked?
Yes! I’ve started recording Q&A videos to answer questions from my young readers. They’re always great questions so it’s hard to pick one… but one question a lot of people have asked is whether The Adventurers will have their own adventure during lockdown. The answer is no! The characters will still be solving mysteries and having adventures out and about! I also think Barney may now be the most well-travelled border collie in history!
A huge congratulations on the publishing deal. What does this mean for the future of The Adventurers?
Thank you! I’m thrilled to be working with Klett Sprachen on an adventure story for German school children! It’s a brand-new story and set of characters so was a nice change to write.
As for The Adventurers Series, book four, ‘The Adventurers and the Continental Chase’, is coming out on 2nd November and I’m now represented by Lorella Belli Literary Agency for foreign translation rights, so hopefully many more children around the world will be able to enjoy the books in different languages soon!
Finally, as the winter approaches and potentially further travel bans why is the Continental Chase the perfect antidote to COVID traveling blues?
There’s a lot of action as the characters go on a wild road trip from Paris to the snowy French Alps, to the ancient ruins of Rome and beyond with a mystery to solve! I hope the book helps transport my readers away from what’s going on in the news into a fun and exciting adventure!
To receive a free downloadable Adventurers activity pack, please sign up to my newsletter at www.jemmahatt.com.