#Gifted
For those wanting to read a new type of spooky with the added chill of reading an element of fact from the Salem Witch Trials - The Tipple Twins and the Gift is an ideal present this Christmas!
A fun and lightly spooky adventure for young readers (8-12) about a pair of identical twins drawn into a secret world of mystery and magic.
About The Tipple Twins Book
Jenna and Jessica Tipple are identical twins. The tipple family's secret gift is magic - the good kind.
Unfortunately, when they enrol at Chumsworth School, they discover that the headmistress, Miss
Snippings, has an unnatural dislike of twins and an unhealthy interest in witchcraft.
When the school play just happens to be about the Salem Witch Trials, the twins realise they're in a cauldron full of trouble
About the Author
Now with twin sons of her own, she is inspired by helping
young people understand that they can be true to themselves.
After reading the book I had many many questions for Michelle but most were to do with 'what happens next'!!!! The book is left in such a way that you feel sad for a certain blackbird, curious as to Boo's background and what will happen next to the Tipple Twins.
Obviously, I can't ask for all the spoilers to the book so instead, I posed the following questions to Michelle:
Q&A with Michelle Cordara
Growing up as an identical twin, were you similar to Jessica and Jenna and did you have your own language?
Me and my twin were similar to Jenna and Jessica in the fact that we were painfully shy around strangers. When we went to nursery I remember just standing up against a wall with my twin because we didn't want to mingle with anyone. The teachers used to have to come and ease us into the class. Another thing we did, the same as Jenna, and that was finger flick because we thought that by doing that, it would erase germs or bad luck.
We also used to have our own language. This is really weird thinking about it now. It's not something we made up purposefully, we just understood what the other one meant but no one else did. For example, we used to say (and still do) 'That's really well badly'. Me and my twin still find this really hard to explain to our friends what it means. We could say it about many things like the sound heels make on shoes when walking in them, to how a teacher holds a book.
What made you use the story of the Salem Witch Trials in the book rather than a fictional story?
The Salem Witch trials came to me in stages. I needed to think of a subject for the school play. When I had the idea of Salem, I got really excited because I thought I can do loads with this idea and it would be a cool thing to mix in with their magic. It was the glue that joined my ideas together but it also gives a realness to the plot. I didn't want to write a fantasy world I wanted my readers to feel like they are living amongst my characters. It can also be a conversation starter and could get children talking about history, asking questions and wanting to learn more.
This is the first book in a new series can you give anything away as to what we can expect going forward? Will we see the special blackbird again?
For the rest of the series, I want to dig deeper into the Salem theme, and have more action. I'm really excited about where the series is going to go but can't reveal too much. The special blackbird will be seen again.
Me and my twin were similar to Jenna and Jessica in the fact that we were painfully shy around strangers. When we went to nursery I remember just standing up against a wall with my twin because we didn't want to mingle with anyone. The teachers used to have to come and ease us into the class. Another thing we did, the same as Jenna, and that was finger flick because we thought that by doing that, it would erase germs or bad luck.
We also used to have our own language. This is really weird thinking about it now. It's not something we made up purposefully, we just understood what the other one meant but no one else did. For example, we used to say (and still do) 'That's really well badly'. Me and my twin still find this really hard to explain to our friends what it means. We could say it about many things like the sound heels make on shoes when walking in them, to how a teacher holds a book.
What made you use the story of the Salem Witch Trials in the book rather than a fictional story?
The Salem Witch trials came to me in stages. I needed to think of a subject for the school play. When I had the idea of Salem, I got really excited because I thought I can do loads with this idea and it would be a cool thing to mix in with their magic. It was the glue that joined my ideas together but it also gives a realness to the plot. I didn't want to write a fantasy world I wanted my readers to feel like they are living amongst my characters. It can also be a conversation starter and could get children talking about history, asking questions and wanting to learn more.
This is the first book in a new series can you give anything away as to what we can expect going forward? Will we see the special blackbird again?
For the rest of the series, I want to dig deeper into the Salem theme, and have more action. I'm really excited about where the series is going to go but can't reveal too much. The special blackbird will be seen again.
When can we expect to read more about the Tipple Twins and do we find out more about Boo's past?
I'm aiming for the next book to be released late next year. I've had a lot of people interested in Boo, and I will definitely say there is more of his past in the next book and he plays a bigger role in the next one too.
I'm aiming for the next book to be released late next year. I've had a lot of people interested in Boo, and I will definitely say there is more of his past in the next book and he plays a bigger role in the next one too.
Thank you Michelle for taking the time to answer my questions, I am looking forward to seeing how this book series grows.
The Tipple Twins and the Gift is available in paperback (£6.99) and ebook (£3.99) at all good bookshops and online retailers
The Tipple Twins and the Gift is available in paperback (£6.99) and ebook (£3.99) at all good bookshops and online retailers
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for popping by - and even bigger thanks if you're showing me a bit of love by leaving a comment :D xoxo