Yippeeeee the next book in Amy Sparkes’s fabulous series is OUT. The Tower at the End of Time is the second in the three book series, enjoy the first – House At The Edge of Magic, here. This is a hilarious series filled with magic, humour and heart. The latest instalment sees Nine embark on a new adventure… filled with mayhem and hiccups! But, how did Amy Sparkes’s creative mind begin? Where has it lead her? Enjoy this fabulous guest post from Amy alllllll about curiosity…
As a child, I was frequently reminded of the phrase ‘curiosity killed the cat’, and with good reason: I was by far the most curious member of my family and always in trouble. I loved experimenting, exploring forbidden corners and daring to take things to a new level. I wasn’t fired up so much about the ‘how’ or the ‘why’ of the things in front of me, but it was the ‘what if’ that captivated me.
What if there was hidden treasure – lying right there, buried in my grandparents’ garden? Simple solution: dig it up and find out. I was beyond delighted at the fragments of Victorian blue-and-white china that I found. My grandparents were admittedly less delighted when they saw the state of their garden.
What if there was a secret passageway to another world underneath that manhole in the girls’ toilets? Simple solution: remove the manhole cover and find out. On reflection, this was quite a big ask for an 8-year-old girl. But I did get a hefty four-inch screw out of one corner with my bare hands and had started on the next before the teacher came to see if I was still alive as I had been so long in the toilets.
That intense longing to explore, to investigate, to discover and to know is something which is very much part of Nine’s character. Curiosity is her strength as well as her weakness. Her blessing as well her curse. It gets her into a lot of trouble, but it also finds answers in the dark places which others cannot find. There is a boldness which comes with curiosity – that willingness to step into the unknown, and accept there may be risks, there may be consequences, but to do it anyway.
When Nine is cautioned not to open a cupboard or a door, we know the very next thing she will do is open it. This is why she is absolutely the perfect character to be in the House At The Edge Of Magic. She will be the one to prise open secret doors, find hidden places, explore forbidden places. She will probably end up knowing more about the House than Flabberghast, the wizard who has lived there for years! Because Nine is a person who loves questions and finding out the answers.
So when she hears about the Asking Stone in the Tower At The End Of Time, which grants the answer to any question, Nine is more than a little interested. She has a million questions which flood her brain, but there is one which calls loudest of all. One question which burns in her heart. One which she would give anything to find out the answer to…
Nine is a dream to work with. I love seeing the world through her eyes, feeling that intense curiosity and watching her as she makes discoveries, makes mistakes, and makes more sense of the magical world around her. I would have adored to be truly inside the House At The Edge Of Magic, but writing these books is definitely the next best thing.
