Q&A with Sarah Tagholm, author of Sam Francisco King of The Disco -

We’ve been catching up with the wonderful Sarah Tagholm this week, following the publication of her dance-tastic new picture book Sam Francisco, King of The Disco – a story about what cats really get up to when they’re out all night. With a colourful cast of smoooooth characters, stylishly illustrated by Binny Talib, this story has already become a firm favourite with my own children.

Read on to find out about more about the fabulously funny Sarah Tagholm! drum roll

1. Tell us about you in 25 words or less.

I am messy, so is my hair and brain. I jump in the sea a lot. I love books, cats, frogs and Cornwall.

2. Your picture book, Sam Francisco King of Disco just came out (congratulastions!), can you tell us a little bit about how it came to be?

Throughout my life, music in many of its genres has been a like a best friend to me. Born in the 70’s I am a child of disco. Thanks to my Dad I lived in a house filled with Elvis, Johnny Cash and Motown. As a teenager in the 90’s I donned high viz vests and raved in fields, cheese factories and kitchens. Later, I sang in a punk band (well, shouted) and went to festivals and northern soul weekends.

Another constant presence has been cats, and when our son was small we were given two kittens, Envelope an inquisitive ginger Tom and Uranus (because we are ridiculous,) his timid fluffy sister.

Envelope was more human than cat, preferring cereal to cat food, sitting with our son as he played, even attempting to follow him to school. But as Envelope grew he became increasingly tired – so tired he’d sleep on spiky piles of lego.

So what was he doing at night to make him so sleepy was a endless dinner table topic – did he travel across Cornwall searching for a suitable bride? Or join pirates on swashbuckling adventures? Or was he in fact, a super-star DJ rallying up neighbourhood cats to join him at a rave – location to be disclosed hours before the event by pager.

So with dancing and music filling much of my heart and a charismatic cat to get the cogs whirring it’s no surprise that I woke up one morning in 2018 with the words to the opening spread;

Midnight struck, the whole town slept,

when out of the window something crept.

Covered in glitter from head to toe,

Singing softly, Me-ow, Me-ow,

It was…. (dramatic page turn)

Sam Francisco, off to the disco.

3. Ok, here’s a challenge… can you sum up your book in five words? [runs and hides!]

Wow (wait does that count as one word? Heck in fact I’ve already used up five and more!) OK here goes….

Cats in costumes, dancing, joy.

4. What does a typical day look like for you?

I drink coffee whilst gazing out of the window and wait for ideas to fling themselves into my brain, when they do, I jot them down in a note-book.

Then I head out for a run or a walk, and let my brain work through whatever I am hoping to write that morning. Then I make more coffee and sit, pencil in hand, on the floor in our lounge, to write. After about three hours my legs get a bit jiggady, so I’ll often sneak into the wilds of Cornwall for a swim or a kayak or a bellyboarding session. Then our son gets home from school and it’s mum duty for the rest of the day.

5. What makes you happy?

When my family are happy, I feel happy. Picture books make me happy, libraries make me happy, spring makes me very happy, seeing wild primroses or a wren makes me happy as does eating chocolate!

6. What’s on your TBR pile at the moment?

Samantha Shannon’s A Day Of Fallen Night, Joanne Harris’s Broken Light. And though I’ve already read it, it’s still in my TBR pile because I can’t stop reading over and over Julia Sarda’s stunning picture book The Queen In The Cave.

7. What’s your worst habit?

Probably spooning Nutella straight from the jar – a jar doesn’t last long in our house, even a big one. I also make up rhymes and songs out loud about everything all day long, they are ridiculous and drive my husband and son mad – for example ‘The shoe’ses that he chooses, are not the cheeses that he sneezes.’

8. Your favourite word(s) and why

Budgerigar, because once we were cycling down a hill really fast and in the joy of the moment my son shouted BUDGERIGAR!

Lozenge is a good one, as is conniption, hoodwinked and nitwit.

9. What are your top tips for budding writers?

Well they aren’t very original I’m afraid, but I would just say read, read tons and read books that are being published now. And if you are writing picture books, record yourself reading them aloud (you can do it on your phone) and listen back to it – I find that really helpful.

10. Is there anything that’s surprised you about the publishing process?

I signed book deals early 2020 and the first one came out in September 2022 and one of the others doesn’t come out until spring 2024!!!! It can take a looooooooooong time!

11. Can you give us a glimpse / hint at your current WIP? (I can bribe you with cake!)

I have a dark but funny (I hope) picture book, with a similar feel to Wolves In Helicopters on submission, I do hope that one gets picked up as I would be fascinated to see illustrations for the story. I am editing a picture book about a little girl who asks A LOT of questions, and I am planning to hunker down after the summer and write something much longer and probably VERY INCREDIBLY WEIRD!