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Steadman on Why Our Differences Make Us Stronger</h1><div class="text-2xl leading-normal my-4 [&_a]:text-curious-blue dark:[&_a]:link-color-dm"><p>“Skandar and the Unicorn Thief,” the first installment in Steadman’s debut middle-grade series, offers a ferocious alternate vision for the myth of the unicorn—and asks what being a hero really means.</p></div><figure class="simple-player_simple-player-wrapper__vNLpF"><audio src="https://downloads.ctfassets.net/qpn1gztbusu2/6vIJUftGMuxOGk5K8NPb7C/82257f072714b06ce9e6f6b331815898/AF_Steadman_Interview_Edited_MP3.mp3" preload="metadata"><track kind="captions" srcLang="en" label="English"/></audio><div class="sticky-player-positioner sticky-player_sticky-player-positioner__Vdg44 relative hidden"><div class="sticky-player_sticky-player-container__L59lP"><div class="sticky-player_sticky-player-button-wrapper__w_evO"><button aria-label="Play audio AF Steadman Skandar and the Unicorn Theif interview audio" class="simple-player_simple-player-button__8wqyv simple-player_simple-player-play-button__GMFpi"><span class="simple-player_simple-player-button-icon__5CNzm"><svg stroke="currentColor" fill="currentColor" stroke-width="0" viewBox="0 0 24 24" height="1em" width="1em" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path fill="none" stroke-width="2" d="M3,22.0000002 L21,12 L3,2 L3,22.0000002 Z M5,19 L17.5999998,11.9999999 L5,5 L5,19 Z M7,16 L14.1999999,12 L7,8 L7,16 Z M9,13 L10.8,12 L9,11 L9,13 Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="sticky-player_sticky-player-info-wrapper__9lmiL"><div class="sticky-player_sticky-player-info__qyWvZ"><h4> -Minute Listen</h4></div></div></div><div class="simple-player_simple-player-seeker__IFpZv"><input type="range" id="simple-player-slider" class="simple-player_simple-player-slider__2Gbmr" aria-label="Seek slider of AF Steadman Skandar and the Unicorn Theif interview audio" max="100"/></div><div class="simple-player_simple-player-duration__ldPId"><span class="simple-player_simple-player-duration-span__5G9yc">0:00</span><span class="simple-player_simple-player-duration-span__5G9yc">:</span></div></div></figure><div class="post-meta text-sm"><div class="author uppercase font-semibold"><a href="/blog/author/melissa-bendixen">Melissa Bendixen</a></div><div class="date font-normal">July 6, 2022</div></div><div class="article-hero"><div class="relative w-full my-6"><picture><source srcSet="https://images.ctfassets.net/qpn1gztbusu2/5JydvVorS9mxrGYYn5jtfd/0273dc42681dcf5b2d5d4e731f2a0298/22-0742-EDT-interview-AFSteadman_1200x628_HERO.png?fm=avif&w=640&q=70 640w, https://images.ctfassets.net/qpn1gztbusu2/5JydvVorS9mxrGYYn5jtfd/0273dc42681dcf5b2d5d4e731f2a0298/22-0742-EDT-interview-AFSteadman_1200x628_HERO.png?fm=avif&w=750&q=70 750w, https://images.ctfassets.net/qpn1gztbusu2/5JydvVorS9mxrGYYn5jtfd/0273dc42681dcf5b2d5d4e731f2a0298/22-0742-EDT-interview-AFSteadman_1200x628_HERO.png?fm=avif&w=828&q=70 828w, 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https://images.ctfassets.net/qpn1gztbusu2/5JydvVorS9mxrGYYn5jtfd/0273dc42681dcf5b2d5d4e731f2a0298/22-0742-EDT-interview-AFSteadman_1200x628_HERO.png?fm=jpg&w=3840&q=70 3840w" type="image/jpg"/><img alt="A.F. Steadman on Why Our Differences Make Us Stronger" width="1199" height="628" decoding="async" class="w-full" style="color:transparent" sizes="(min-width: 768px) 992px, 100vw" src="https://images.ctfassets.net/qpn1gztbusu2/5JydvVorS9mxrGYYn5jtfd/0273dc42681dcf5b2d5d4e731f2a0298/22-0742-EDT-interview-AFSteadman_1200x628_HERO.png?fm=jpg&w=3840&q=70" loading="eager"/></picture></div></div></div></section><div><section class="block-wrapper_block-wrapper__uK_6b post-content_post-content__VF_NW py-6"><p><b class="font-bold">Note: Text has been edited and does not match audio exactly</b></p><p><b class="font-bold">Melissa Bendixen:</b> Hi, listeners. This is Audible Editor Melissa Bendixen, and here with me today is A.F. Steadman, author of the middle-grade novel <a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Skandar-and-the-Unicorn-Thief-Audiobook/B09KYJSQD5" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i class="italic">Skandar and the Unicorn Thief</i></a><i class="italic">.</i> Welcome, Annabel.</p><p><b class="font-bold">A.F. Steadman: </b>Hi. Thanks so much for having me.</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB: </b>Of course. Really happy to have you here. At the time of this recording<i class="italic">, Skandar and the Unicorn Thief</i> has been out for about a month now, so how does it feel to finally have your novel in the hands of readers and in the ears of listeners?</p><p><b class="font-bold">AS: </b>It's been absolutely amazing. I feel like the last four weeks have been about four years, like in a good way, because there's just been so much going on, and I've just loved hearing readers' and listeners' reactions to the story.</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB: </b>Yeah, that's really cool. Well, I have to say, for listeners who don't know, Annabel, under the pen name A.F. Steadman, had the miraculous experience upon selling her first three novels in the Skandar Smith series of seeing them become the subject of a multi-publisher bidding war, which resulted in a seven-figure deal. So, what was running through your head while this was happening, Annabel? What was that experience like for you? </p><p><b class="font-bold">AS:</b> I didn't really expect anyone to want to buy it. I know that sounds strange, but I'm really, really pessimistic as a person. So, when it went out to publishers, I was expecting it to be months and months and months of waiting. And my agent is quite pessimistic as well, so we were pretty surprised when people came back so quickly. When the first offer came in, which was before the auction started between the publishers, that was kind of the strongest reaction for me, because I just knew then someone wanted to make it into a book. And then after that, it was just completely wild. I couldn't keep up with everything that was going on, and I think my mouth really hurt from smiling all the time [laughs] because all the meetings were on Zoom at that time. So, I was just sitting there with a huge grin on my face, and it was just incredible, incredible.</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB: </b>Well, it was certainly well-deserved because it was such a fun listen. I really enjoyed listening to this one. <i class="italic">Skandar and the Unicorn Thief</i> is about 13-year-old Skandar, who lives on the mainland, as it's called in the UK, and who has always wanted to be a unicorn rider. In this world, there is familiar technology, cellphones, and cyber bullies, but there's also unicorns that eat flesh, form magical bonds with riders, and grant them elemental powers. It reminded me of the childhood classics that we grew up with but with some interesting twists. So, I'm wondering, did you pull from any of your childhood favorites to create this series, and if so, what elements did you want to be sure to include in your story?</p><p><b class="font-bold">AS: </b>I'm a big fan of dragons. I always have been. I love the <a href="https://www.audible.com/series/How-to-Train-Your-Dragon-Audiobooks/B0074EAZG4" rel="noopener noreferrer">How to Train Your Dragon</a> series by Cressida Cowell, and I loved <a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Eragon-Audiobook/B002UZKL7A" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i class="italic">Eragon</i></a><i class="italic">,</i> as well, by Christopher Paolini. That was one, I was kind of that age that was really perfect for it. So, I think when I was thinking about the unicorns and making them into majestic beasts, I was thinking about how those authors did it. I was also thinking about the <a href="https://www.audible.com/series/Earthsea-Audiobooks/B007CLJZMO" rel="noopener noreferrer">Earthsea series</a> by Ursula K. Le Guin, which is one of my favorites. The dragons in that are these kind of specters over the whole series. You kind of want to meet them, and you sort of don't want to meet them. I really wanted the unicorns to be a central part of it, but I also think the books that I loved most growing up had a really strong sense of logic to how the magic worked and it all made sense. And that was something that was quite important to me as well, with the elemental magic in the books, that whenever I was thinking of something new, inventing the rider training school or where the unicorn eggs are hatched, it all had to come back to the fundamental rules of the world of elemental magic.</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB: </b>Mmm, yeah. I love that you said <i class="italic">Eragon,</i> because that was also one of my formative listens. I always think about it. I’ll go back to it and be like, "What was it that was just so compelling about <i class="italic">Eragon</i>?" I think it's that bond, the having something so close to you and the not being alone and, like, that special bond, friendship thing, you know?</p><p><b class="font-bold">AS: </b>Yeah, and I think I loved <a href="https://www.audible.com/series/His-Dark-Materials-Audiobooks/B006K1ML9G" rel="noopener noreferrer">His Dark Materials</a> as well, by Philip Pullman. And in that the bond between the human and the demon, they're kind of part of the same person almost, but I loved that growing up as well, and used to imagine myself with this demon creature wandering around my bedroom. So, I think, yeah, that's something really special about children's books. They can kind of shine a light on how we relate to other people and other animals, and each other.</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB: </b>Yeah. Was there anything from all of your inspirations that you wanted to do differently in your story?</p><p><b class="font-bold">AS:</b> There're lots of books that put children into categories. Like, I'm thinking of <a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Divergent-Audiobook/B004XMPFLK" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i class="italic">Divergent</i></a>, <a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Harry-Potter-and-the-Sorcerers-Stone-Book-1-Audiobook/B017V4IM1G" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i class="italic">Harry Potter</i></a><i class="italic">.</i> I think that's because people, children in particular, when they get to the kind of middle-grade age, they're starting to question who they are and where they belong in the world. And so having a kind of something that tells you where you might belong or what you might be is, I think, quite popular in children's books. But in <i class="italic">Skandar,</i> they have different elements. The children and the unicorns are allied to fire or earth or water or air, but I didn't want to separate them when they were living in the training school. I didn't want to separate them by elements because I always felt like I wasn't sure which Hogwarts house I belonged to [laughs].</p><blockquote><p>"I've never really trusted that unicorns were nice, because they have this big horn on their heads that's kind of a weapon, you know? You don't see a rhino and think, 'That looks really cuddly. I should go and make friends with that.'"</p></blockquote><p>And I liked this idea that we're all made up of all different pieces of different things and different elements. If we work together, we make each other stronger. And so in <i class="italic">Skandar</i> the children are different but they learn from each other, rather than grouping all the children that are similar together to do kind of heroic things, if that makes sense.</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB: </b>Yeah, that does. That's a really good point. I hadn't thought about it that way. What made you decide to make <i class="italic">Skandar</i>'s reality an open-world versus a closed-world fantasy? And for listeners who don't know, an open-world fantasy is when there's magical elements that everyone in the world knows about, and a closed-world fantasy is when there's a world that exists that's secret alongside the quote/unquote "real world" or non-magical world.</p><p><b class="font-bold">AS: </b>I've always been interested in, with open-world fantasy, how everyone reacts to that being real. I love things where the real and the unreal kind of sit next to each other. And the unicorns, for me, they always felt like they could be real. I think because they've been in history for so long. There's so much art. There's so much kind of historical writing. And in that way, to me, they felt kind of real. So, it made sense to introduce them into a world as we kind of know it and for everyone to basically be told, "Yes, they are real, and now you have to deal with it." Because I think it's interesting to see how society responds to that, and then how, actually, unicorns in <i class="italic">Skandar</i>, they make people scared. And people, when they're afraid, they make strange decisions. I think that's something I wanted to explore. Rather than having it hidden away, I wanted a hero who had to deal with being in the real world and then go into the fantasy world. Although the fantasy world is open to everyone, but only those kind of people who are destined for unicorns.</p><p>It also let me explore that element of being left behind. Everyone knows that you can be a unicorn rider, but in this case, Skandar's sister, who's a year older than him, she doesn't get to access the magic. And I wanted to see and explore the kind of effect that would have on the sibling relationship and on the people that are left behind.</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB: </b>Yeah. That's really interesting. When we were growing up, we had all these fantasy novels, and us as young listeners and readers would have to experience that left-behind thing. And now, you've carried it along in your story, and you've put it <i class="italic">in</i> the fiction. And so it kind of reflects the young listener and young reader experience, it’s this kind of meta thing. </p><p><b class="font-bold">AS: </b>Yeah. Skandar's sister is called Kenna, and someone said to me who'd read it, like, "We're all Kenna." We have to shut the book at the end, and there's a kind of acceptance that has to come with that, but also a kind of sadness, which I’ve definitely experienced when I've stopped listening to or reading books that I really loved.</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB: </b>Yeah, yeah, it's kind of inevitable, I think, as someone who consumes fiction and fantasy, in particular.</p><p>Well, I have to say, the unicorns were really something. Your take on them was really fascinating, and I'm curious about what inspired your take on the unicorns, both with the zombie-like immortal unicorns and then the bonded but still viciously meat-eating tame unicorns. </p><p><b class="font-bold">AS: </b>I mean, I think the first time I thought of it, I had a kind of image of this boy riding a unicorn, and I kind of played with it. And I was thinking that the unicorn doesn't look friendly. It looks like it could be pretty powerful. It could be dangerous. I think, probably, that comes from me in terms of I've never really liked unicorns that much [laughs]. If you told me 10 years ago or 12 years ago that I'd write a series about unicorns, I probably would've said, "Oh, really? Are you really gonna do that?" [Laughs]</p><p>I don't like the kind of fluffy, friendly sort of rainbow-colored Pooh sort of thing that goes on now. I didn't even like it as a child. I always liked creatures that had a sort of edge to them. I've never really trusted that unicorns were nice, because they have this big horn on their heads that's kind of a weapon, you know? You don't see a rhino and think, "That looks really cuddly. I should go and make friends with that." </p><p>So, I think I just decided to push that as far as I could go. I really wanted to make sure that I delivered on the premise. I didn't want to say, "Okay, this is a book about bloodthirsty unicorns" and then "They're kind of a bit bad but not that bad." I think that's why the wild unicorns got quite so dark, because I really wanted to give the readers what I'd promised them, I suppose.</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB: </b>Yeah. I love that you weren't precious about it. You were just totally ready to give us a whole new image about unicorns.</p><p><b class="font-bold">AS: </b>Well, they're upfront as well, you know? You meet the wild unicorns in the prologue, so if you're not keen on them, then at least you know [laughs]. You're not gonna get halfway through and then come across them. But I also wanted children to want to become unicorn riders, because I think there's something aspirational about fantasy, particularly ones where you go from a recognizable world into a different kind of fantasy adventure. And so the bonded unicorns, I needed them to still be ferocious, but I wanted there to be something about them that there was this connection with humans. There's a peace between them because they give each other something. They share their magic, and then they kind of live a life full of meaning, rather than the wild unicorns, who live alone and get more and more angry about it.</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB: </b>Right. It's a really good thing, I think, actually, that you had these bloodthirsty unicorns in there because it's kind of more accurate to real life. Like, if a person or a child were to have a relationship with a real horse, then they have to be wary of the horse. Horses can be dangerous too, and there's this element of trusting that has to be in there because you know that a horse or another large animal, even a dog, can be dangerous. </p><p><b class="font-bold">AS: </b>Yeah, definitely.</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB: </b>Were you a horse girl at all growing up? Did you do any riding, anything that inspired you to look at them in this more horse-like way?</p><p><b class="font-bold">AS: </b>I did learn to ride when I was kind of much younger. My mom's always really liked horses as well. She has ridden in her life too, and I think there is something about horses that there is such a close bond between humans. I think it's the history there, the kind of working together, and they kind of have a look in their eye that you think, "You know what's going on with the world."</p><p>But they are also dangerous, you know? Nowadays, if I was gonna ride a horse, I think I would be very nervous. As you become aware of your own mortality, as you get older, you get a bit more nervous. They can be dangerous sometimes, and they're high up off the ground. They're not as high as a flying unicorn, but if you fall, then there is a danger in that. So, I think I was tapping into that kind of slight nervousness, in that idea that they are creatures with their own minds, at the end of the day, and if they wanna go, if they wanna run, they're gonna do that.</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB: </b>Right, totally. Well, I read in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/apr/27/life-is-short-so-you-have-to-get-on-with-it-af-steadman-on-unicorns-leaving-law-and-her-record-breaking-book-deal"><i class="italic">The Guardian</i></a> that you kind of had a young awakening around your own mortality because you had kidney surgery. And you had a moment when you went under anesthesia, you realized—I think you said you were nine, right, when you got the surgery?</p><p><b class="font-bold">AS: </b>Yeah.</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB: </b>And you realized that you might not wake up, and that's a very formative experience to have so young. Did you put any of that into the story with Skandar and his friends?</p><p><b class="font-bold">AS: </b>Yeah, I think it was an experience that kind of shaped my idea of life and making the most of it, I suppose. Even though I'm afraid, I often push myself to do the thing that I know that I really want to do but I'm scared of. And I think that Skandar has some of that in him because he is quite scared of most things [laughs]. When the book starts out, he's not the bravest. But, for me, his bravery is because he's so scared of things. He overcomes that, and I think that's really brave.</p><p>And I think the immortality side to the unicorns, as well, is something that I've thought about, about living forever. And I think the wild unicorns are a kind of physical manifestation of that because they're living forever, but does life have any meaning? I don't think I was thinking that when I was nine, but it's something that I've kind of thought about throughout my life. How can we live well, I suppose, and can we make the most of it?</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB: </b>Did you bring any of your previous experience as a lawyer/barrister to this novel about unicorns?</p><p><b class="font-bold">AS: </b>[Laughs] Well, there is actually a treaty between the mainland and the island, an international agreement, you might call it. And I suppose when I was thinking about how the mainland and the island were gonna live in this new world, because it's fairly new, it's only 15 years ago that the mainland discovers that unicorns are real and deadly and they live on this island off the coast. So, I was kind of thinking, “How would they agree to send their 13-year-old children to this island to ride the deadly unicorns?" So, I came up with, I guess, a contract between them. So maybe that's partly from my legal training.</p><p>I think it's more, for me, it's been helpful for making deadlines. I often work like I used to work, kind of 9 to 5 when I'm writing. I'm quite a sort of disciplined writer, so I think that has helped me to write quickly and get the job done.</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB: </b>You're full-time on writing right now?</p><p><b class="font-bold">AS: </b>Yeah, yeah.</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB: </b>That's very cool.</p><p><b class="font-bold">AS: </b>I feel very lucky. I'm lucky to do that, and it means I get some time for reading as well, which I love, and it's very important to writing, I think.</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB: </b>Yeah, definitely. Do you have any recommendations of things that you've been listening to lately that you really liked?</p><p><b class="font-bold">AS: </b>Oh, my goodness. I've been listening to <a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Marvellers-Audiobook/1250831660" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i class="italic">The Marvellers</i></a> by Dhonielle Clayton. The audiobook of that is so, so good. It's a kind of magic school in the sky. I love that so much. I'm just about to finish it. I keep wanting to go and listen. That's really great.</p><p>And I've recently started reading <a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Zachary-Ying-and-the-Dragon-Emperor-Audiobook/B09VKC3KXM" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i class="italic">Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor</i></a> by Xiran Jay Zhao, who is also the author of <a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Iron-Widow-Audiobook/0735269963" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i class="italic">Iron Widow</i></a>. I got sent the book, because I think it's out in the States but it's not out in the UK yet. And I've just got it, so I've started reading it. It's great. It's really good.</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB: </b>That's so exciting. I loved <i class="italic">Iron Widow</i> last year. That was one of my favorites.</p><p><b class="font-bold">AS:</b> Me too. </p><p><b class="font-bold">MB: </b>Well, speaking of narration, what made you choose David Dawson as a narrator, and what do you really like about his narration?</p><p><b class="font-bold">AS: </b>So, I actually got the opportunity to go and listen to him recording it in the studio, and I think one of the best things about his narration is he puts so much energy into it. It feels like he's kind of reading with his whole entire body. I think that's really important for this story because it is full of action. There's lots of bits where you want to kind of get to the next chapter, and I think he does those cliffhangers really well.</p><p>When I heard him read the prologue as well, his voice was just perfect for it in that it was just so epic, and I felt like he was fully invested in the world of the unicorns. I love the voices he does for the characters as well. I think they're really perfect, and when I was listening to him reading it, I was kind of almost seeing my characters again for the first time and thinking, "Oh, that's actually the perfect voice for them," even though they didn't necessarily have that voice in my head. His interpretation of it creatively was kind of making my mind just explode with more ideas. It was great.</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB: </b>Wow. That's really cool. So, you feel like you've gained from listening to it, and it's going to change how you're writing the books in the future?</p><p><b class="font-bold">AS: </b>Yeah, I think so. When I'm writing now and when I'm writing dialogue, I'm gonna hear his voice for Bobby and Mitchell. I really think I am. I think he just understood them so perfectly, and, yeah, I love listening to it. I think it's a brilliant interpretation of it, and it's much better than just hearing my voice in my head reading it. So, it's gonna be more exciting to write.</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB: </b>Right, and it's very cool that you got to go see him in the studio. What was that experience like, watching him read your words in this full-body way, as you were saying?</p><p><b class="font-bold">AS: </b>Yeah, I think the bit that I was listening to was when the riders start their training in the elements, and he was kind of being the instructor and giving the instructions for how to use this piece of elemental magic. So, he was doing the actions that I'd written down in the book with his hands, which was an amazing experience. I think we were both very excited to meet each other as well. He's very, very lovely, a lovely man, so it was an incredible experience, especially for me because I love audiobooks so much. I think it was something that once I knew it was happening, I was so excited to hear it. To get the opportunity was, I felt, really, really lucky.</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB: </b>Yeah. I've heard it said, and I agree, that <i class="italic">Skandar and the Unicorn Thief</i> has a very cinematic feel to it. I think the audio element really speaks to that. What do you think the audio element can add to a story like this?</p><p><b class="font-bold">AS: </b>I think it can really make the words jump into your mind. That sounds really strange, but sometimes when I'm listening to audio, I kind of see the words and see the images at the same time. It almost allows you to be more visual, I think, because you're not reading off a page, so your eyes aren't doing that. I often, when I'm listening—and I think David Dawson's narration does this really well—I kind of see the scenes playing out in front of me, you know? I often listen to audiobooks when I'm walking around the park or just wanting to be outside, and it's this amazing freedom, I think, to hear someone reading in such an action-packed and almost excitable way. And it makes me want to visualize it.</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB: </b>Yeah, that's really cool. I really appreciated your take on certain elements in <i class="italic">Skandar and the Unicorn Thief</i>, things like mental health and parent-child or sibling-sibling relationships. Like you mentioned with Kenna and her relationship with Skandar, about how one of them gets in and the [other] one doesn't. That was just, like, "Oh, I so relate," you know? But can you tell me what inspired the character of Skandar's dad, and what did you want to explore in his relationship with his children?</p><p><b class="font-bold">AS:</b> I was often used to, in children's books, seeing children whose both their parents weren't around anymore, because that's obviously a good way to get them into an adventure. I totally get that, but with Skandar's dad, he really loves his children. He's their dad, and he loves them. But he's also struggling, and I think lots of children have that experience. Their parents go through struggles, with mental health, or it can be anything. Those kind of adult problems, they do seep down to children, particularly, I think, in single-parent families where they're having to do everything and children have to grow up quite a lot.</p><blockquote><p>"We're heroic when we work together. Skandar might have his name in the title, but he is part of a group that support him."</p></blockquote><p>And it's something that I experienced. My parents got divorced when I was about 12, and I was living with my mom. And so it wasn't my dad who was looking after us, but I think that made us a very close-knit group, between siblings, and my mom as well. And you kind of almost feel like it's you against everyone else. I wanted to explore the impact that can have on children and it being more complicated than, "Oh, he's a great dad" or "He's not a good dad," because he's not one or the other. He's just a person, and I wanted to show that so that children who are also going through that, and they're taking those problems to school maybe and they don't feel like they 100 percent fit in with everyone else because there's things going on at home.</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB:</b> Yeah, totally. What are you excited about exploring in the next installments of the Skandar Smith series, and where are we going next with Skandar and his friends?</p><p><b class="font-bold">AS: </b>Well, I'm excited, first of all, because the characters are gonna grow up every year, so they're not gonna stay 13, 14 like they are in the first book. They get into their next year of training and they get to learn more magic, which is always exciting, and kind of different ways to use their elemental magic. So, in the second book, which I think I can tell you, the training focuses on elemental weapons. They're doing, like, elemental jousting. They learn how to make lightning bows and flaming swords, and they kind of try and knock each other off. It's a bit different from the first book, where the magic's a bit less focused. That was quite fun to write about, and hopefully to read about too.</p><p>And also just Skandar's journey. I don't want to do any spoilers, but he's got a long journey to go on. Him growing and trying to accept who he is and where he fits, as well as the other people in his friendship group. They're growing and they're trying to see how they fit together and where they belong and what's important to them. You're gonna see more of that too.</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB: </b>Yeah, I'm most curious about that twist at the end.</p><p><b class="font-bold">AS: </b>Mm-hmm, yeah.</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB: </b>Just, like, the future dramas.</p><p><b class="font-bold">AS: </b>Drama [laughing].</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB: </b>So much future drama coming down the pipeline.</p><p><b class="font-bold">AS: </b>Yep</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB:</b> What do you ultimately hope to bring to the middle-grade genre with the story of Skandar and his friends, if you have a hope? </p><p><b class="font-bold">AS: </b>I think, I mean I wanted to change unicorns. That was quite a big hope for me. It's fun to have different versions of a mythical creature, and maybe some children will read this series and then when they think “unicorn,” they're not gonna think of a fluffy, soft toy, sparkly unicorn. They might think of the ferocious unicorns first. And if that happens, that would be amazing.</p><p>I think also something I want to explore with the series is about how mostly we're heroic when we work together. Skandar might have his name in the title, but he is part of a group that support him. And he doesn't have to be epic all the time. Through friendship, basically, I'd like to explore how that can change things for everyone.</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB: </b>Mmm yeah.<b class="font-bold"> </b>Well, Annabel, thank you so much for joining us and telling listeners these fun, behind-the-scenes details about <i class="italic">Skandar and the Unicorn Thief</i>. </p><p><b class="font-bold">AS: </b>Thanks so much for having me. It's been so much fun.</p><p><b class="font-bold">MB:</b> And listeners, you can get <i class="italic">Skandar and the Unicorn Thief</i> by A.F. Steadman, the first of her five-book series, on Audible now.</p></section><section class="block-wrapper_block-wrapper__uK_6b"><script type="application/ld+json">{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Audiobook","bookFormat":"AudiobookFormat","abridged":true,"publisher":"Audible","provider":"Audible","name":"Skandar and the Unicorn Thief","image":"https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81joit6ncdL._SL800_.jpg","author":"A.F. Steadman","abstract":"<p><b>A </b><b><i>New York Times</i></b><b> bestseller!</b><br /> <br /> <b>Soar into a breathtaking world of heroes and unicorns as you’ve never seen them before in this “unexpected, suspenseful, and heartwarming” (</b><b><i>Kirkus Reviews</i></b><b>) middle grade debut perfect for fans of the Percy Jackson and Eragon series!</b><br /> <br /> Skandar Smith has always yearned to leave the Mainland and escape to the secretive Island, where wild unicorns roam free. He’s spent years studying for his Hatchery exam, the annual test that selects a handful of Mainlander thirteen-year-olds to train to become unicorn riders. But on the day of Skandar’s exam, things go horribly wrong, and his hopes are shattered…until a mysterious figure knocks on his door at midnight, bearing a message: the Island is in peril and Skandar must answer its call. <br /> <br /> Skandar is thrust into a world of epic sky battles, dangerous clashes with wild unicorns, and rumors of a shadowy villain amassing a unicorn army. And the closer Skandar grows to his newfound friends and community of riders, the harder it becomes to keep his secrets—especially when he discovers their lives may all be in graver danger than he ever imagined.</p>","description":"<p><b>A </b><b><i>New York Times</i></b><b> bestseller!</b><br /> <br /> <b>Soar into a breathtaking world of heroes and unicorns as you’ve never seen them before in this “unexpected, suspenseful, and heartwarming” (</b><b><i>Kirkus Reviews</i></b><b>) middle grade debut perfect for fans of the Percy Jackson and Eragon series!</b><br /> <br /> Skandar Smith has always yearned to leave the Mainland and escape to the secretive Island, where wild unicorns roam free. He’s spent years studying for his Hatchery exam, the annual test that selects a handful of Mainlander thirteen-year-olds to train to become unicorn riders. But on the day of Skandar’s exam, things go horribly wrong, and his hopes are shattered…until a mysterious figure knocks on his door at midnight, bearing a message: the Island is in peril and Skandar must answer its call. <br /> <br /> Skandar is thrust into a world of epic sky battles, dangerous clashes with wild unicorns, and rumors of a shadowy villain amassing a unicorn army. And the closer Skandar grows to his newfound friends and community of riders, the harder it becomes to keep his secrets—especially when he discovers their lives may all be in graver danger than he ever imagined.</p>","readBy":"David Dawson","contentUrl":"https://samples.audible.com/bk/sans/011406/bk_sans_011406_sample.mp3","mainEntityOfPage":"https://www.audible.com/pd/Skandar-and-the-Unicorn-Thief-Audiobook/B09KYJSQD5"}</script><section class="recommended-listens_recommended-list-layout__oVimS" data-location="layout"><h3 class="mb-2">Listen to more from A.F. 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Thief</h3></div></div></a></article></div></div></div></div></div></section></div></div></div></section></section><section class="block-wrapper_block-wrapper__uK_6b"><div class="md:mt-5 md:mb-5"><div class="upnextCarousel__title text-center text-2xl mb-5 text-4 font-medium [&>*>a]:text-curious-blue [&>*>a]:hover:text-link-color-hover dark:[&>*>a]:link-color-dm dark:[&>*>a]:hover:link-color-dm-hover">Up Next</div><div class="upnextCarousel_upnextCarousel__items-wrapper__sLgLI upnextCarousel__items-wrapper"><a id="upnextCarousel-item-Postbrynne-weaver-scythe-and-sparrow-audio-interview" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="upnextCarousel_upnext_item_wrapper_first__2Bvh3" href="/blog/brynne-weaver-scythe-and-sparrow-audio-interview"><div class="upnextCarousel_upnext_item_image_first___cwFR"><picture><source srcSet="https://images.ctfassets.net/qpn1gztbusu2/1e0OnB4zZY5lsFCMbo3tMj/17d610c3e7d12e6c012b05f2883b67af/25-0027-USNJEDT-Interview_BrynneWeaver_1200x628_DT_HERO_V1.png?fm=avif&w=640&q=70 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started</h3></div></a><a id="upnextCarousel-item-Postinterview-harry-trevaldwyn-the-romantic-tragedies-of-a-drama-king" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="undefined" href="/blog/interview-harry-trevaldwyn-the-romantic-tragedies-of-a-drama-king"><div class=""><picture><source srcSet="https://images.ctfassets.net/qpn1gztbusu2/3qMuPHtf4hDZfAI1M2sYTJ/ff412942f4b3167f341b23b3b4f7c9f3/interview-harry-trevaldwyn-hero__1_.jpg?fm=avif&w=640&q=70 640w, https://images.ctfassets.net/qpn1gztbusu2/3qMuPHtf4hDZfAI1M2sYTJ/ff412942f4b3167f341b23b3b4f7c9f3/interview-harry-trevaldwyn-hero__1_.jpg?fm=avif&w=750&q=70 750w, https://images.ctfassets.net/qpn1gztbusu2/3qMuPHtf4hDZfAI1M2sYTJ/ff412942f4b3167f341b23b3b4f7c9f3/interview-harry-trevaldwyn-hero__1_.jpg?fm=avif&w=828&q=70 828w, https://images.ctfassets.net/qpn1gztbusu2/3qMuPHtf4hDZfAI1M2sYTJ/ff412942f4b3167f341b23b3b4f7c9f3/interview-harry-trevaldwyn-hero__1_.jpg?fm=avif&w=1080&q=70 1080w, 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https://images.ctfassets.net/qpn1gztbusu2/xB14wZf6lpwBYnF9jFhMJ/89d1bc513fd0873af53f0d9fe866b9fb/25-0026-USNJEDT-Interview_NoraRoberts_1200x628_DT_HERO_B_V2.png?fm=jpg&w=2048&q=70 2048w, https://images.ctfassets.net/qpn1gztbusu2/xB14wZf6lpwBYnF9jFhMJ/89d1bc513fd0873af53f0d9fe866b9fb/25-0026-USNJEDT-Interview_NoraRoberts_1200x628_DT_HERO_B_V2.png?fm=jpg&w=3840&q=70 3840w" type="image/jpg"/><img alt="" loading="lazy" width="960" height="540" decoding="async" style="color:transparent" sizes="(min-width: 768px) 992px, 100vw" src="https://images.ctfassets.net/qpn1gztbusu2/xB14wZf6lpwBYnF9jFhMJ/89d1bc513fd0873af53f0d9fe866b9fb/25-0026-USNJEDT-Interview_NoraRoberts_1200x628_DT_HERO_B_V2.png?fm=jpg&w=3840&q=70"/></picture></div><div class="px-4 flex flex-col justify-center" id="upnextCarousel-item-Postjd-robb-bonded-in-death-audio-interview"><h3 class="py-2 text-base md:text-xl common-styles text-center">Nora Roberts reaches another milestone, but she has no time to celebrate</h3></div></a></div></div></section><section class="block-wrapper_block-wrapper__uK_6b"><div class="uppercase align-center px-10 max-w-[600px] m-auto text-center text-postContent font-medium"><h4>Tags</h4><ul class="list-reset lg:my-6 text-curious-blue dark:text-link-color-dm"><li class="inline-block after:content-[','] after:text-black last:after:content-[''] px-1"><a class="hover:link-color-hover dark:hover:text-link-color-dm-hover" href="/blog/category/kids">Kids</a></li><li class="inline-block after:content-[','] after:text-black last:after:content-[''] px-1"><a class="hover:link-color-hover dark:hover:text-link-color-dm-hover" href="/blog/category/fantasy">Fantasy</a></li><li class="inline-block after:content-[','] after:text-black last:after:content-[''] px-1"><a class="hover:link-color-hover dark:hover:text-link-color-dm-hover" href="/blog/category/womens-history">Women's History</a></li></ul></div></section></div><div class=" block space-y-2 cursor-pointer 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Hero\",\"contentType\":\"image/png\",\"fileName\":\"22-0742-EDT-interview-AFSteadman_1200x628_HERO.png\",\"size\":841470,\"url\":\"https://images.ctfassets.net/qpn1gztbusu2/5JydvVorS9mxrGYYn5jtfd/0273dc42681dcf5b2d5d4e731f2a0298/22-0742-EDT-interview-AFSteadman_1200x628_HERO.png\",\"width\":1199,\"height\":628},\"content\":{\"json\":{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"Note: Text has been edited and does not match audio exactly\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"Melissa Bendixen:\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\" Hi, listeners. This is Audible Editor Melissa Bendixen, and here with me today is A.F. Steadman, author of the middle-grade novel \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{\"uri\":\"https://www.audible.com/pd/Skandar-and-the-Unicorn-Thief-Audiobook/B09KYJSQD5\"},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"italic\"}],\"value\":\"Skandar and the Unicorn Thief\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"hyperlink\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"italic\"}],\"value\":\".\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\" Welcome, Annabel.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"A.F. Steadman: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Hi. Thanks so much for having me.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Of course. Really happy to have you here. At the time of this recording\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"italic\"}],\"value\":\", Skandar and the Unicorn Thief\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\" has been out for about a month now, so how does it feel to finally have your novel in the hands of readers and in the ears of listeners?\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"It's been absolutely amazing. I feel like the last four weeks have been about four years, like in a good way, because there's just been so much going on, and I've just loved hearing readers' and listeners' reactions to the story.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Yeah, that's really cool. Well, I have to say, for listeners who don't know, Annabel, under the pen name A.F. Steadman, had the miraculous experience upon selling her first three novels in the Skandar Smith series of seeing them become the subject of a multi-publisher bidding war, which resulted in a seven-figure deal. So, what was running through your head while this was happening, Annabel? What was that experience like for you? \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS:\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\" I didn't really expect anyone to want to buy it. I know that sounds strange, but I'm really, really pessimistic as a person. So, when it went out to publishers, I was expecting it to be months and months and months of waiting. And my agent is quite pessimistic as well, so we were pretty surprised when people came back so quickly. When the first offer came in, which was before the auction started between the publishers, that was kind of the strongest reaction for me, because I just knew then someone wanted to make it into a book. And then after that, it was just completely wild. I couldn't keep up with everything that was going on, and I think my mouth really hurt from smiling all the time [laughs] because all the meetings were on Zoom at that time. So, I was just sitting there with a huge grin on my face, and it was just incredible, incredible.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Well, it was certainly well-deserved because it was such a fun listen. I really enjoyed listening to this one. \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"italic\"}],\"value\":\"Skandar and the Unicorn Thief\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\" is about 13-year-old Skandar, who lives on the mainland, as it's called in the UK, and who has always wanted to be a unicorn rider. In this world, there is familiar technology, cellphones, and cyber bullies, but there's also unicorns that eat flesh, form magical bonds with riders, and grant them elemental powers. It reminded me of the childhood classics that we grew up with but with some interesting twists. So, I'm wondering, did you pull from any of your childhood favorites to create this series, and if so, what elements did you want to be sure to include in your story?\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"I'm a big fan of dragons. I always have been. I love the \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{\"uri\":\"https://www.audible.com/series/How-to-Train-Your-Dragon-Audiobooks/B0074EAZG4\"},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"How to Train Your Dragon\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"hyperlink\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\" series by Cressida Cowell, and I loved \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{\"uri\":\"https://www.audible.com/pd/Eragon-Audiobook/B002UZKL7A\"},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"italic\"}],\"value\":\"Eragon\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"hyperlink\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"italic\"}],\"value\":\",\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\" as well, by Christopher Paolini. That was one, I was kind of that age that was really perfect for it. So, I think when I was thinking about the unicorns and making them into majestic beasts, I was thinking about how those authors did it. I was also thinking about the \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{\"uri\":\"https://www.audible.com/series/Earthsea-Audiobooks/B007CLJZMO\"},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Earthsea series\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"hyperlink\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\" by Ursula K. Le Guin, which is one of my favorites. The dragons in that are these kind of specters over the whole series. You kind of want to meet them, and you sort of don't want to meet them. I really wanted the unicorns to be a central part of it, but I also think the books that I loved most growing up had a really strong sense of logic to how the magic worked and it all made sense. And that was something that was quite important to me as well, with the elemental magic in the books, that whenever I was thinking of something new, inventing the rider training school or where the unicorn eggs are hatched, it all had to come back to the fundamental rules of the world of elemental magic.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Mmm, yeah. I love that you said \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"italic\"}],\"value\":\"Eragon,\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\" because that was also one of my formative listens. I always think about it. I’ll go back to it and be like, \\\"What was it that was just so compelling about \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"italic\"}],\"value\":\"Eragon\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"?\\\" I think it's that bond, the having something so close to you and the not being alone and, like, that special bond, friendship thing, you know?\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Yeah, and I think I loved \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{\"uri\":\"https://www.audible.com/series/His-Dark-Materials-Audiobooks/B006K1ML9G\"},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"His Dark Materials\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"hyperlink\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\" as well, by Philip Pullman. And in that the bond between the human and the demon, they're kind of part of the same person almost, but I loved that growing up as well, and used to imagine myself with this demon creature wandering around my bedroom. So, I think, yeah, that's something really special about children's books. They can kind of shine a light on how we relate to other people and other animals, and each other.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Yeah. Was there anything from all of your inspirations that you wanted to do differently in your story?\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS:\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\" There're lots of books that put children into categories. Like, I'm thinking of \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{\"uri\":\"https://www.audible.com/pd/Divergent-Audiobook/B004XMPFLK\"},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"italic\"}],\"value\":\"Divergent\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"hyperlink\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\", \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{\"uri\":\"https://www.audible.com/pd/Harry-Potter-and-the-Sorcerers-Stone-Book-1-Audiobook/B017V4IM1G\"},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"italic\"}],\"value\":\"Harry Potter\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"hyperlink\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"italic\"}],\"value\":\".\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\" I think that's because people, children in particular, when they get to the kind of middle-grade age, they're starting to question who they are and where they belong in the world. And so having a kind of something that tells you where you might belong or what you might be is, I think, quite popular in children's books. But in \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"italic\"}],\"value\":\"Skandar,\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\" they have different elements. The children and the unicorns are allied to fire or earth or water or air, but I didn't want to separate them when they were living in the training school. I didn't want to separate them by elements because I always felt like I wasn't sure which Hogwarts house I belonged to [laughs].\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"\\\"I've never really trusted that unicorns were nice, because they have this big horn on their heads that's kind of a weapon, you know? You don't see a rhino and think, 'That looks really cuddly. I should go and make friends with that.'\\\"\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"}],\"nodeType\":\"blockquote\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"And I liked this idea that we're all made up of all different pieces of different things and different elements. If we work together, we make each other stronger. And so in \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"italic\"}],\"value\":\"Skandar\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\" the children are different but they learn from each other, rather than grouping all the children that are similar together to do kind of heroic things, if that makes sense.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Yeah, that does. That's a really good point. I hadn't thought about it that way. What made you decide to make \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"italic\"}],\"value\":\"Skandar\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"'s reality an open-world versus a closed-world fantasy? And for listeners who don't know, an open-world fantasy is when there's magical elements that everyone in the world knows about, and a closed-world fantasy is when there's a world that exists that's secret alongside the quote/unquote \\\"real world\\\" or non-magical world.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"I've always been interested in, with open-world fantasy, how everyone reacts to that being real. I love things where the real and the unreal kind of sit next to each other. And the unicorns, for me, they always felt like they could be real. I think because they've been in history for so long. There's so much art. There's so much kind of historical writing. And in that way, to me, they felt kind of real. So, it made sense to introduce them into a world as we kind of know it and for everyone to basically be told, \\\"Yes, they are real, and now you have to deal with it.\\\" Because I think it's interesting to see how society responds to that, and then how, actually, unicorns in \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"italic\"}],\"value\":\"Skandar\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\", they make people scared. And people, when they're afraid, they make strange decisions. I think that's something I wanted to explore. Rather than having it hidden away, I wanted a hero who had to deal with being in the real world and then go into the fantasy world. Although the fantasy world is open to everyone, but only those kind of people who are destined for unicorns.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"It also let me explore that element of being left behind. Everyone knows that you can be a unicorn rider, but in this case, Skandar's sister, who's a year older than him, she doesn't get to access the magic. And I wanted to see and explore the kind of effect that would have on the sibling relationship and on the people that are left behind.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Yeah. That's really interesting. When we were growing up, we had all these fantasy novels, and us as young listeners and readers would have to experience that left-behind thing. And now, you've carried it along in your story, and you've put it \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"italic\"}],\"value\":\"in\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\" the fiction. And so it kind of reflects the young listener and young reader experience, it’s this kind of meta thing. \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Yeah. Skandar's sister is called Kenna, and someone said to me who'd read it, like, \\\"We're all Kenna.\\\" We have to shut the book at the end, and there's a kind of acceptance that has to come with that, but also a kind of sadness, which I’ve definitely experienced when I've stopped listening to or reading books that I really loved.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Yeah, yeah, it's kind of inevitable, I think, as someone who consumes fiction and fantasy, in particular.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Well, I have to say, the unicorns were really something. Your take on them was really fascinating, and I'm curious about what inspired your take on the unicorns, both with the zombie-like immortal unicorns and then the bonded but still viciously meat-eating tame unicorns. \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"I mean, I think the first time I thought of it, I had a kind of image of this boy riding a unicorn, and I kind of played with it. And I was thinking that the unicorn doesn't look friendly. It looks like it could be pretty powerful. It could be dangerous. I think, probably, that comes from me in terms of I've never really liked unicorns that much [laughs]. If you told me 10 years ago or 12 years ago that I'd write a series about unicorns, I probably would've said, \\\"Oh, really? Are you really gonna do that?\\\" [Laughs]\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"I don't like the kind of fluffy, friendly sort of rainbow-colored Pooh sort of thing that goes on now. I didn't even like it as a child. I always liked creatures that had a sort of edge to them. I've never really trusted that unicorns were nice, because they have this big horn on their heads that's kind of a weapon, you know? You don't see a rhino and think, \\\"That looks really cuddly. I should go and make friends with that.\\\" \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"So, I think I just decided to push that as far as I could go. I really wanted to make sure that I delivered on the premise. I didn't want to say, \\\"Okay, this is a book about bloodthirsty unicorns\\\" and then \\\"They're kind of a bit bad but not that bad.\\\" I think that's why the wild unicorns got quite so dark, because I really wanted to give the readers what I'd promised them, I suppose.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Yeah. I love that you weren't precious about it. You were just totally ready to give us a whole new image about unicorns.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Well, they're upfront as well, you know? You meet the wild unicorns in the prologue, so if you're not keen on them, then at least you know [laughs]. You're not gonna get halfway through and then come across them. But I also wanted children to want to become unicorn riders, because I think there's something aspirational about fantasy, particularly ones where you go from a recognizable world into a different kind of fantasy adventure. And so the bonded unicorns, I needed them to still be ferocious, but I wanted there to be something about them that there was this connection with humans. There's a peace between them because they give each other something. They share their magic, and then they kind of live a life full of meaning, rather than the wild unicorns, who live alone and get more and more angry about it.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Right. It's a really good thing, I think, actually, that you had these bloodthirsty unicorns in there because it's kind of more accurate to real life. Like, if a person or a child were to have a relationship with a real horse, then they have to be wary of the horse. Horses can be dangerous too, and there's this element of trusting that has to be in there because you know that a horse or another large animal, even a dog, can be dangerous. \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Yeah, definitely.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Were you a horse girl at all growing up? Did you do any riding, anything that inspired you to look at them in this more horse-like way?\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"I did learn to ride when I was kind of much younger. My mom's always really liked horses as well. She has ridden in her life too, and I think there is something about horses that there is such a close bond between humans. I think it's the history there, the kind of working together, and they kind of have a look in their eye that you think, \\\"You know what's going on with the world.\\\"\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"But they are also dangerous, you know? Nowadays, if I was gonna ride a horse, I think I would be very nervous. As you become aware of your own mortality, as you get older, you get a bit more nervous. They can be dangerous sometimes, and they're high up off the ground. They're not as high as a flying unicorn, but if you fall, then there is a danger in that. So, I think I was tapping into that kind of slight nervousness, in that idea that they are creatures with their own minds, at the end of the day, and if they wanna go, if they wanna run, they're gonna do that.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Right, totally. Well, I read in \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{\"uri\":\"https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/apr/27/life-is-short-so-you-have-to-get-on-with-it-af-steadman-on-unicorns-leaving-law-and-her-record-breaking-book-deal\"},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"italic\"}],\"value\":\"The Guardian\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"hyperlink\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\" that you kind of had a young awakening around your own mortality because you had kidney surgery. And you had a moment when you went under anesthesia, you realized—I think you said you were nine, right, when you got the surgery?\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Yeah.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"And you realized that you might not wake up, and that's a very formative experience to have so young. Did you put any of that into the story with Skandar and his friends?\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Yeah, I think it was an experience that kind of shaped my idea of life and making the most of it, I suppose. Even though I'm afraid, I often push myself to do the thing that I know that I really want to do but I'm scared of. And I think that Skandar has some of that in him because he is quite scared of most things [laughs]. When the book starts out, he's not the bravest. But, for me, his bravery is because he's so scared of things. He overcomes that, and I think that's really brave.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"And I think the immortality side to the unicorns, as well, is something that I've thought about, about living forever. And I think the wild unicorns are a kind of physical manifestation of that because they're living forever, but does life have any meaning? I don't think I was thinking that when I was nine, but it's something that I've kind of thought about throughout my life. How can we live well, I suppose, and can we make the most of it?\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Did you bring any of your previous experience as a lawyer/barrister to this novel about unicorns?\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"[Laughs] Well, there is actually a treaty between the mainland and the island, an international agreement, you might call it. And I suppose when I was thinking about how the mainland and the island were gonna live in this new world, because it's fairly new, it's only 15 years ago that the mainland discovers that unicorns are real and deadly and they live on this island off the coast. So, I was kind of thinking, “How would they agree to send their 13-year-old children to this island to ride the deadly unicorns?\\\" So, I came up with, I guess, a contract between them. So maybe that's partly from my legal training.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"I think it's more, for me, it's been helpful for making deadlines. I often work like I used to work, kind of 9 to 5 when I'm writing. I'm quite a sort of disciplined writer, so I think that has helped me to write quickly and get the job done.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"You're full-time on writing right now?\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Yeah, yeah.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"That's very cool.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"I feel very lucky. I'm lucky to do that, and it means I get some time for reading as well, which I love, and it's very important to writing, I think.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Yeah, definitely. Do you have any recommendations of things that you've been listening to lately that you really liked?\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Oh, my goodness. I've been listening to \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{\"uri\":\"https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Marvellers-Audiobook/1250831660\"},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"italic\"}],\"value\":\"The Marvellers\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"hyperlink\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\" by Dhonielle Clayton. The audiobook of that is so, so good. It's a kind of magic school in the sky. I love that so much. I'm just about to finish it. I keep wanting to go and listen. That's really great.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"And I've recently started reading \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{\"uri\":\"https://www.audible.com/pd/Zachary-Ying-and-the-Dragon-Emperor-Audiobook/B09VKC3KXM\"},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"italic\"}],\"value\":\"Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"hyperlink\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\" by Xiran Jay Zhao, who is also the author of \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{\"uri\":\"https://www.audible.com/pd/Iron-Widow-Audiobook/0735269963\"},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"italic\"}],\"value\":\"Iron Widow\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"hyperlink\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\". I got sent the book, because I think it's out in the States but it's not out in the UK yet. And I've just got it, so I've started reading it. It's great. It's really good.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"That's so exciting. I loved \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"italic\"}],\"value\":\"Iron Widow\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\" last year. That was one of my favorites.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS:\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\" Me too. \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Well, speaking of narration, what made you choose David Dawson as a narrator, and what do you really like about his narration?\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"So, I actually got the opportunity to go and listen to him recording it in the studio, and I think one of the best things about his narration is he puts so much energy into it. It feels like he's kind of reading with his whole entire body. I think that's really important for this story because it is full of action. There's lots of bits where you want to kind of get to the next chapter, and I think he does those cliffhangers really well.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"When I heard him read the prologue as well, his voice was just perfect for it in that it was just so epic, and I felt like he was fully invested in the world of the unicorns. I love the voices he does for the characters as well. I think they're really perfect, and when I was listening to him reading it, I was kind of almost seeing my characters again for the first time and thinking, \\\"Oh, that's actually the perfect voice for them,\\\" even though they didn't necessarily have that voice in my head. His interpretation of it creatively was kind of making my mind just explode with more ideas. It was great.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Wow. That's really cool. So, you feel like you've gained from listening to it, and it's going to change how you're writing the books in the future?\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Yeah, I think so. When I'm writing now and when I'm writing dialogue, I'm gonna hear his voice for Bobby and Mitchell. I really think I am. I think he just understood them so perfectly, and, yeah, I love listening to it. I think it's a brilliant interpretation of it, and it's much better than just hearing my voice in my head reading it. So, it's gonna be more exciting to write.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Right, and it's very cool that you got to go see him in the studio. What was that experience like, watching him read your words in this full-body way, as you were saying?\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Yeah, I think the bit that I was listening to was when the riders start their training in the elements, and he was kind of being the instructor and giving the instructions for how to use this piece of elemental magic. So, he was doing the actions that I'd written down in the book with his hands, which was an amazing experience. I think we were both very excited to meet each other as well. He's very, very lovely, a lovely man, so it was an incredible experience, especially for me because I love audiobooks so much. I think it was something that once I knew it was happening, I was so excited to hear it. To get the opportunity was, I felt, really, really lucky.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Yeah. I've heard it said, and I agree, that \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"italic\"}],\"value\":\"Skandar and the Unicorn Thief\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\" has a very cinematic feel to it. I think the audio element really speaks to that. What do you think the audio element can add to a story like this?\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"I think it can really make the words jump into your mind. That sounds really strange, but sometimes when I'm listening to audio, I kind of see the words and see the images at the same time. It almost allows you to be more visual, I think, because you're not reading off a page, so your eyes aren't doing that. I often, when I'm listening—and I think David Dawson's narration does this really well—I kind of see the scenes playing out in front of me, you know? I often listen to audiobooks when I'm walking around the park or just wanting to be outside, and it's this amazing freedom, I think, to hear someone reading in such an action-packed and almost excitable way. And it makes me want to visualize it.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Yeah, that's really cool. I really appreciated your take on certain elements in \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"italic\"}],\"value\":\"Skandar and the Unicorn Thief\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\", things like mental health and parent-child or sibling-sibling relationships. Like you mentioned with Kenna and her relationship with Skandar, about how one of them gets in and the [other] one doesn't. That was just, like, \\\"Oh, I so relate,\\\" you know? But can you tell me what inspired the character of Skandar's dad, and what did you want to explore in his relationship with his children?\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS:\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\" I was often used to, in children's books, seeing children whose both their parents weren't around anymore, because that's obviously a good way to get them into an adventure. I totally get that, but with Skandar's dad, he really loves his children. He's their dad, and he loves them. But he's also struggling, and I think lots of children have that experience. Their parents go through struggles, with mental health, or it can be anything. Those kind of adult problems, they do seep down to children, particularly, I think, in single-parent families where they're having to do everything and children have to grow up quite a lot.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"\\\"We're heroic when we work together. Skandar might have his name in the title, but he is part of a group that support him.\\\"\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"}],\"nodeType\":\"blockquote\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"And it's something that I experienced. My parents got divorced when I was about 12, and I was living with my mom. And so it wasn't my dad who was looking after us, but I think that made us a very close-knit group, between siblings, and my mom as well. And you kind of almost feel like it's you against everyone else. I wanted to explore the impact that can have on children and it being more complicated than, \\\"Oh, he's a great dad\\\" or \\\"He's not a good dad,\\\" because he's not one or the other. He's just a person, and I wanted to show that so that children who are also going through that, and they're taking those problems to school maybe and they don't feel like they 100 percent fit in with everyone else because there's things going on at home.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB:\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\" Yeah, totally. What are you excited about exploring in the next installments of the Skandar Smith series, and where are we going next with Skandar and his friends?\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Well, I'm excited, first of all, because the characters are gonna grow up every year, so they're not gonna stay 13, 14 like they are in the first book. They get into their next year of training and they get to learn more magic, which is always exciting, and kind of different ways to use their elemental magic. So, in the second book, which I think I can tell you, the training focuses on elemental weapons. They're doing, like, elemental jousting. They learn how to make lightning bows and flaming swords, and they kind of try and knock each other off. It's a bit different from the first book, where the magic's a bit less focused. That was quite fun to write about, and hopefully to read about too.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"And also just Skandar's journey. I don't want to do any spoilers, but he's got a long journey to go on. Him growing and trying to accept who he is and where he fits, as well as the other people in his friendship group. They're growing and they're trying to see how they fit together and where they belong and what's important to them. You're gonna see more of that too.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Yeah, I'm most curious about that twist at the end.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Mm-hmm, yeah.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Just, like, the future dramas.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Drama [laughing].\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"So much future drama coming down the pipeline.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Yep\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB:\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\" What do you ultimately hope to bring to the middle-grade genre with the story of Skandar and his friends, if you have a hope? \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"I think, I mean I wanted to change unicorns. That was quite a big hope for me. It's fun to have different versions of a mythical creature, and maybe some children will read this series and then when they think “unicorn,” they're not gonna think of a fluffy, soft toy, sparkly unicorn. They might think of the ferocious unicorns first. And if that happens, that would be amazing.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"I think also something I want to explore with the series is about how mostly we're heroic when we work together. Skandar might have his name in the title, but he is part of a group that support him. And he doesn't have to be epic all the time. Through friendship, basically, I'd like to explore how that can change things for everyone.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"MB: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Mmm yeah.\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\" \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Well, Annabel, thank you so much for joining us and telling listeners these fun, behind-the-scenes details about \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"italic\"}],\"value\":\"Skandar and the Unicorn Thief\",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\". \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"}],\"nodeType\":\"paragraph\"},{\"data\":{},\"content\":[{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"value\":\"AS: \",\"nodeType\":\"text\"},{\"data\":{},\"marks\":[],\"value\":\"Thanks so much for having me. 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This is Audible Editor Melissa Bendixen, and here with me today is A.F. Steadman, author of the middle-grade novel \"],[\"$\",\"$11\",\"2\",{\"children\":\"$L1b\"}],[\"$\",\"i\",\"3\",{\"className\":\"italic\",\"children\":[false,\".\"]}],[false,\" Welcome, Annabel.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"2\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"A.F. Steadman: \"]}],[false,\"Hi. Thanks so much for having me.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"3\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB: \"]}],[false,\"Of course. Really happy to have you here. At the time of this recording\"],[\"$\",\"i\",\"2\",{\"className\":\"italic\",\"children\":[false,\", Skandar and the Unicorn Thief\"]}],[false,\" has been out for about a month now, so how does it feel to finally have your novel in the hands of readers and in the ears of listeners?\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"4\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS: \"]}],[false,\"It's been absolutely amazing. I feel like the last four weeks have been about four years, like in a good way, because there's just been so much going on, and I've just loved hearing readers' and listeners' reactions to the story.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"5\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB: \"]}],[false,\"Yeah, that's really cool. Well, I have to say, for listeners who don't know, Annabel, under the pen name A.F. Steadman, had the miraculous experience upon selling her first three novels in the Skandar Smith series of seeing them become the subject of a multi-publisher bidding war, which resulted in a seven-figure deal. So, what was running through your head while this was happening, Annabel? What was that experience like for you? \"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"6\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS:\"]}],[false,\" I didn't really expect anyone to want to buy it. I know that sounds strange, but I'm really, really pessimistic as a person. So, when it went out to publishers, I was expecting it to be months and months and months of waiting. And my agent is quite pessimistic as well, so we were pretty surprised when people came back so quickly. When the first offer came in, which was before the auction started between the publishers, that was kind of the strongest reaction for me, because I just knew then someone wanted to make it into a book. And then after that, it was just completely wild. I couldn't keep up with everything that was going on, and I think my mouth really hurt from smiling all the time [laughs] because all the meetings were on Zoom at that time. So, I was just sitting there with a huge grin on my face, and it was just incredible, incredible.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"7\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB: \"]}],[false,\"Well, it was certainly well-deserved because it was such a fun listen. I really enjoyed listening to this one. \"],[\"$\",\"i\",\"2\",{\"className\":\"italic\",\"children\":[false,\"Skandar and the Unicorn Thief\"]}],[false,\" is about 13-year-old Skandar, who lives on the mainland, as it's called in the UK, and who has always wanted to be a unicorn rider. In this world, there is familiar technology, cellphones, and cyber bullies, but there's also unicorns that eat flesh, form magical bonds with riders, and grant them elemental powers. It reminded me of the childhood classics that we grew up with but with some interesting twists. So, I'm wondering, did you pull from any of your childhood favorites to create this series, and if so, what elements did you want to be sure to include in your story?\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"8\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS: \"]}],[false,\"I'm a big fan of dragons. I always have been. I love the \"],[\"$\",\"$11\",\"2\",{\"children\":\"$L1c\"}],[false,\" series by Cressida Cowell, and I loved \"],[\"$\",\"$11\",\"4\",{\"children\":\"$L1d\"}],[\"$\",\"i\",\"5\",{\"className\":\"italic\",\"children\":[false,\",\"]}],[false,\" as well, by Christopher Paolini. That was one, I was kind of that age that was really perfect for it. So, I think when I was thinking about the unicorns and making them into majestic beasts, I was thinking about how those authors did it. I was also thinking about the \"],[\"$\",\"$11\",\"7\",{\"children\":\"$L1e\"}],[false,\" by Ursula K. Le Guin, which is one of my favorites. The dragons in that are these kind of specters over the whole series. You kind of want to meet them, and you sort of don't want to meet them. I really wanted the unicorns to be a central part of it, but I also think the books that I loved most growing up had a really strong sense of logic to how the magic worked and it all made sense. And that was something that was quite important to me as well, with the elemental magic in the books, that whenever I was thinking of something new, inventing the rider training school or where the unicorn eggs are hatched, it all had to come back to the fundamental rules of the world of elemental magic.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"9\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB: \"]}],[false,\"Mmm, yeah. I love that you said \"],[\"$\",\"i\",\"2\",{\"className\":\"italic\",\"children\":[false,\"Eragon,\"]}],[false,\" because that was also one of my formative listens. I always think about it. I’ll go back to it and be like, \\\"What was it that was just so compelling about \"],[\"$\",\"i\",\"4\",{\"className\":\"italic\",\"children\":[false,\"Eragon\"]}],[false,\"?\\\" I think it's that bond, the having something so close to you and the not being alone and, like, that special bond, friendship thing, you know?\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"10\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS: \"]}],[false,\"Yeah, and I think I loved \"],[\"$\",\"$11\",\"2\",{\"children\":\"$L1f\"}],[false,\" as well, by Philip Pullman. And in that the bond between the human and the demon, they're kind of part of the same person almost, but I loved that growing up as well, and used to imagine myself with this demon creature wandering around my bedroom. So, I think, yeah, that's something really special about children's books. They can kind of shine a light on how we relate to other people and other animals, and each other.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"11\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB: \"]}],[false,\"Yeah. Was there anything from all of your inspirations that you wanted to do differently in your story?\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"12\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS:\"]}],[false,\" There're lots of books that put children into categories. Like, I'm thinking of \"],[\"$\",\"$11\",\"2\",{\"children\":\"$L20\"}],[false,\", \"],[\"$\",\"$11\",\"4\",{\"children\":\"$L21\"}],[\"$\",\"i\",\"5\",{\"className\":\"italic\",\"children\":[false,\".\"]}],[false,\" I think that's because people, children in particular, when they get to the kind of middle-grade age, they're starting to question who they are and where they belong in the world. And so having a kind of something that tells you where you might belong or what you might be is, I think, quite popular in children's books. But in \"],[\"$\",\"i\",\"7\",{\"className\":\"italic\",\"children\":[false,\"Skandar,\"]}],[false,\" they have different elements. The children and the unicorns are allied to fire or earth or water or air, but I didn't want to separate them when they were living in the training school. I didn't want to separate them by elements because I always felt like I wasn't sure which Hogwarts house I belonged to [laughs].\"]]}],[\"$\",\"blockquote\",\"13\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"p\",\"0\",{\"children\":[[false,\"\\\"I've never really trusted that unicorns were nice, because they have this big horn on their heads that's kind of a weapon, you know? You don't see a rhino and think, 'That looks really cuddly. I should go and make friends with that.'\\\"\"]]}]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"14\",{\"children\":[[false,\"And I liked this idea that we're all made up of all different pieces of different things and different elements. If we work together, we make each other stronger. And so in \"],[\"$\",\"i\",\"1\",{\"className\":\"italic\",\"children\":[false,\"Skandar\"]}],[false,\" the children are different but they learn from each other, rather than grouping all the children that are similar together to do kind of heroic things, if that makes sense.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"15\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB: \"]}],[false,\"Yeah, that does. That's a really good point. I hadn't thought about it that way. What made you decide to make \"],[\"$\",\"i\",\"2\",{\"className\":\"italic\",\"children\":[false,\"Skandar\"]}],[false,\"'s reality an open-world versus a closed-world fantasy? And for listeners who don't know, an open-world fantasy is when there's magical elements that everyone in the world knows about, and a closed-world fantasy is when there's a world that exists that's secret alongside the quote/unquote \\\"real world\\\" or non-magical world.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"16\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS: \"]}],[false,\"I've always been interested in, with open-world fantasy, how everyone reacts to that being real. I love things where the real and the unreal kind of sit next to each other. And the unicorns, for me, they always felt like they could be real. I think because they've been in history for so long. There's so much art. There's so much kind of historical writing. And in that way, to me, they felt kind of real. So, it made sense to introduce them into a world as we kind of know it and for everyone to basically be told, \\\"Yes, they are real, and now you have to deal with it.\\\" Because I think it's interesting to see how society responds to that, and then how, actually, unicorns in \"],[\"$\",\"i\",\"2\",{\"className\":\"italic\",\"children\":[false,\"Skandar\"]}],[false,\", they make people scared. And people, when they're afraid, they make strange decisions. I think that's something I wanted to explore. Rather than having it hidden away, I wanted a hero who had to deal with being in the real world and then go into the fantasy world. Although the fantasy world is open to everyone, but only those kind of people who are destined for unicorns.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"17\",{\"children\":[[false,\"It also let me explore that element of being left behind. Everyone knows that you can be a unicorn rider, but in this case, Skandar's sister, who's a year older than him, she doesn't get to access the magic. And I wanted to see and explore the kind of effect that would have on the sibling relationship and on the people that are left behind.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"18\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB: \"]}],[false,\"Yeah. That's really interesting. When we were growing up, we had all these fantasy novels, and us as young listeners and readers would have to experience that left-behind thing. And now, you've carried it along in your story, and you've put it \"],[\"$\",\"i\",\"2\",{\"className\":\"italic\",\"children\":[false,\"in\"]}],[false,\" the fiction. And so it kind of reflects the young listener and young reader experience, it’s this kind of meta thing. \"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"19\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS: \"]}],[false,\"Yeah. Skandar's sister is called Kenna, and someone said to me who'd read it, like, \\\"We're all Kenna.\\\" We have to shut the book at the end, and there's a kind of acceptance that has to come with that, but also a kind of sadness, which I’ve definitely experienced when I've stopped listening to or reading books that I really loved.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"20\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB: \"]}],[false,\"Yeah, yeah, it's kind of inevitable, I think, as someone who consumes fiction and fantasy, in particular.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"21\",{\"children\":[[false,\"Well, I have to say, the unicorns were really something. Your take on them was really fascinating, and I'm curious about what inspired your take on the unicorns, both with the zombie-like immortal unicorns and then the bonded but still viciously meat-eating tame unicorns. \"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"22\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS: \"]}],[false,\"I mean, I think the first time I thought of it, I had a kind of image of this boy riding a unicorn, and I kind of played with it. And I was thinking that the unicorn doesn't look friendly. It looks like it could be pretty powerful. It could be dangerous. I think, probably, that comes from me in terms of I've never really liked unicorns that much [laughs]. If you told me 10 years ago or 12 years ago that I'd write a series about unicorns, I probably would've said, \\\"Oh, really? Are you really gonna do that?\\\" [Laughs]\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"23\",{\"children\":[[false,\"I don't like the kind of fluffy, friendly sort of rainbow-colored Pooh sort of thing that goes on now. I didn't even like it as a child. I always liked creatures that had a sort of edge to them. I've never really trusted that unicorns were nice, because they have this big horn on their heads that's kind of a weapon, you know? You don't see a rhino and think, \\\"That looks really cuddly. I should go and make friends with that.\\\" \"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"24\",{\"children\":[[false,\"So, I think I just decided to push that as far as I could go. I really wanted to make sure that I delivered on the premise. I didn't want to say, \\\"Okay, this is a book about bloodthirsty unicorns\\\" and then \\\"They're kind of a bit bad but not that bad.\\\" I think that's why the wild unicorns got quite so dark, because I really wanted to give the readers what I'd promised them, I suppose.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"25\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB: \"]}],[false,\"Yeah. I love that you weren't precious about it. You were just totally ready to give us a whole new image about unicorns.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"26\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS: \"]}],[false,\"Well, they're upfront as well, you know? You meet the wild unicorns in the prologue, so if you're not keen on them, then at least you know [laughs]. You're not gonna get halfway through and then come across them. But I also wanted children to want to become unicorn riders, because I think there's something aspirational about fantasy, particularly ones where you go from a recognizable world into a different kind of fantasy adventure. And so the bonded unicorns, I needed them to still be ferocious, but I wanted there to be something about them that there was this connection with humans. There's a peace between them because they give each other something. They share their magic, and then they kind of live a life full of meaning, rather than the wild unicorns, who live alone and get more and more angry about it.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"27\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB: \"]}],[false,\"Right. It's a really good thing, I think, actually, that you had these bloodthirsty unicorns in there because it's kind of more accurate to real life. Like, if a person or a child were to have a relationship with a real horse, then they have to be wary of the horse. Horses can be dangerous too, and there's this element of trusting that has to be in there because you know that a horse or another large animal, even a dog, can be dangerous. \"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"28\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS: \"]}],[false,\"Yeah, definitely.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"29\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB: \"]}],[false,\"Were you a horse girl at all growing up? Did you do any riding, anything that inspired you to look at them in this more horse-like way?\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"30\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS: \"]}],[false,\"I did learn to ride when I was kind of much younger. My mom's always really liked horses as well. She has ridden in her life too, and I think there is something about horses that there is such a close bond between humans. I think it's the history there, the kind of working together, and they kind of have a look in their eye that you think, \\\"You know what's going on with the world.\\\"\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"31\",{\"children\":[[false,\"But they are also dangerous, you know? Nowadays, if I was gonna ride a horse, I think I would be very nervous. As you become aware of your own mortality, as you get older, you get a bit more nervous. They can be dangerous sometimes, and they're high up off the ground. They're not as high as a flying unicorn, but if you fall, then there is a danger in that. So, I think I was tapping into that kind of slight nervousness, in that idea that they are creatures with their own minds, at the end of the day, and if they wanna go, if they wanna run, they're gonna do that.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"32\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB: \"]}],[false,\"Right, totally. Well, I read in \"],[\"$\",\"$11\",\"2\",{\"children\":\"$L22\"}],[false,\" that you kind of had a young awakening around your own mortality because you had kidney surgery. And you had a moment when you went under anesthesia, you realized—I think you said you were nine, right, when you got the surgery?\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"33\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS: \"]}],[false,\"Yeah.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"34\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB: \"]}],[false,\"And you realized that you might not wake up, and that's a very formative experience to have so young. Did you put any of that into the story with Skandar and his friends?\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"35\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS: \"]}],[false,\"Yeah, I think it was an experience that kind of shaped my idea of life and making the most of it, I suppose. Even though I'm afraid, I often push myself to do the thing that I know that I really want to do but I'm scared of. And I think that Skandar has some of that in him because he is quite scared of most things [laughs]. When the book starts out, he's not the bravest. But, for me, his bravery is because he's so scared of things. He overcomes that, and I think that's really brave.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"36\",{\"children\":[[false,\"And I think the immortality side to the unicorns, as well, is something that I've thought about, about living forever. And I think the wild unicorns are a kind of physical manifestation of that because they're living forever, but does life have any meaning? I don't think I was thinking that when I was nine, but it's something that I've kind of thought about throughout my life. How can we live well, I suppose, and can we make the most of it?\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"37\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB: \"]}],[false,\"Did you bring any of your previous experience as a lawyer/barrister to this novel about unicorns?\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"38\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS: \"]}],[false,\"[Laughs] Well, there is actually a treaty between the mainland and the island, an international agreement, you might call it. And I suppose when I was thinking about how the mainland and the island were gonna live in this new world, because it's fairly new, it's only 15 years ago that the mainland discovers that unicorns are real and deadly and they live on this island off the coast. So, I was kind of thinking, “How would they agree to send their 13-year-old children to this island to ride the deadly unicorns?\\\" So, I came up with, I guess, a contract between them. So maybe that's partly from my legal training.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"39\",{\"children\":[[false,\"I think it's more, for me, it's been helpful for making deadlines. I often work like I used to work, kind of 9 to 5 when I'm writing. I'm quite a sort of disciplined writer, so I think that has helped me to write quickly and get the job done.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"40\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB: \"]}],[false,\"You're full-time on writing right now?\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"41\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS: \"]}],[false,\"Yeah, yeah.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"42\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB: \"]}],[false,\"That's very cool.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"43\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS: \"]}],[false,\"I feel very lucky. I'm lucky to do that, and it means I get some time for reading as well, which I love, and it's very important to writing, I think.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"44\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB: \"]}],[false,\"Yeah, definitely. Do you have any recommendations of things that you've been listening to lately that you really liked?\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"45\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS: \"]}],[false,\"Oh, my goodness. I've been listening to \"],[\"$\",\"$11\",\"2\",{\"children\":\"$L23\"}],[false,\" by Dhonielle Clayton. The audiobook of that is so, so good. It's a kind of magic school in the sky. I love that so much. I'm just about to finish it. I keep wanting to go and listen. That's really great.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"46\",{\"children\":[[false,\"And I've recently started reading \"],[\"$\",\"$11\",\"1\",{\"children\":\"$L24\"}],[false,\" by Xiran Jay Zhao, who is also the author of \"],[\"$\",\"$11\",\"3\",{\"children\":\"$L25\"}],[false,\". I got sent the book, because I think it's out in the States but it's not out in the UK yet. And I've just got it, so I've started reading it. It's great. It's really good.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"47\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB: \"]}],[false,\"That's so exciting. I loved \"],[\"$\",\"i\",\"2\",{\"className\":\"italic\",\"children\":[false,\"Iron Widow\"]}],[false,\" last year. That was one of my favorites.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"48\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS:\"]}],[false,\" Me too. \"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"49\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB: \"]}],[false,\"Well, speaking of narration, what made you choose David Dawson as a narrator, and what do you really like about his narration?\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"50\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS: \"]}],[false,\"So, I actually got the opportunity to go and listen to him recording it in the studio, and I think one of the best things about his narration is he puts so much energy into it. It feels like he's kind of reading with his whole entire body. I think that's really important for this story because it is full of action. There's lots of bits where you want to kind of get to the next chapter, and I think he does those cliffhangers really well.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"51\",{\"children\":[[false,\"When I heard him read the prologue as well, his voice was just perfect for it in that it was just so epic, and I felt like he was fully invested in the world of the unicorns. I love the voices he does for the characters as well. I think they're really perfect, and when I was listening to him reading it, I was kind of almost seeing my characters again for the first time and thinking, \\\"Oh, that's actually the perfect voice for them,\\\" even though they didn't necessarily have that voice in my head. His interpretation of it creatively was kind of making my mind just explode with more ideas. It was great.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"52\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB: \"]}],[false,\"Wow. That's really cool. So, you feel like you've gained from listening to it, and it's going to change how you're writing the books in the future?\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"53\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS: \"]}],[false,\"Yeah, I think so. When I'm writing now and when I'm writing dialogue, I'm gonna hear his voice for Bobby and Mitchell. I really think I am. I think he just understood them so perfectly, and, yeah, I love listening to it. I think it's a brilliant interpretation of it, and it's much better than just hearing my voice in my head reading it. So, it's gonna be more exciting to write.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"54\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB: \"]}],[false,\"Right, and it's very cool that you got to go see him in the studio. What was that experience like, watching him read your words in this full-body way, as you were saying?\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"55\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS: \"]}],[false,\"Yeah, I think the bit that I was listening to was when the riders start their training in the elements, and he was kind of being the instructor and giving the instructions for how to use this piece of elemental magic. So, he was doing the actions that I'd written down in the book with his hands, which was an amazing experience. I think we were both very excited to meet each other as well. He's very, very lovely, a lovely man, so it was an incredible experience, especially for me because I love audiobooks so much. I think it was something that once I knew it was happening, I was so excited to hear it. To get the opportunity was, I felt, really, really lucky.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"56\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB: \"]}],[false,\"Yeah. I've heard it said, and I agree, that \"],[\"$\",\"i\",\"2\",{\"className\":\"italic\",\"children\":[false,\"Skandar and the Unicorn Thief\"]}],[false,\" has a very cinematic feel to it. I think the audio element really speaks to that. What do you think the audio element can add to a story like this?\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"57\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS: \"]}],[false,\"I think it can really make the words jump into your mind. That sounds really strange, but sometimes when I'm listening to audio, I kind of see the words and see the images at the same time. It almost allows you to be more visual, I think, because you're not reading off a page, so your eyes aren't doing that. I often, when I'm listening—and I think David Dawson's narration does this really well—I kind of see the scenes playing out in front of me, you know? I often listen to audiobooks when I'm walking around the park or just wanting to be outside, and it's this amazing freedom, I think, to hear someone reading in such an action-packed and almost excitable way. And it makes me want to visualize it.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"58\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB: \"]}],[false,\"Yeah, that's really cool. I really appreciated your take on certain elements in \"],[\"$\",\"i\",\"2\",{\"className\":\"italic\",\"children\":[false,\"Skandar and the Unicorn Thief\"]}],[false,\", things like mental health and parent-child or sibling-sibling relationships. Like you mentioned with Kenna and her relationship with Skandar, about how one of them gets in and the [other] one doesn't. That was just, like, \\\"Oh, I so relate,\\\" you know? But can you tell me what inspired the character of Skandar's dad, and what did you want to explore in his relationship with his children?\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"59\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS:\"]}],[false,\" I was often used to, in children's books, seeing children whose both their parents weren't around anymore, because that's obviously a good way to get them into an adventure. I totally get that, but with Skandar's dad, he really loves his children. He's their dad, and he loves them. But he's also struggling, and I think lots of children have that experience. Their parents go through struggles, with mental health, or it can be anything. Those kind of adult problems, they do seep down to children, particularly, I think, in single-parent families where they're having to do everything and children have to grow up quite a lot.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"blockquote\",\"60\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"p\",\"0\",{\"children\":[[false,\"\\\"We're heroic when we work together. Skandar might have his name in the title, but he is part of a group that support him.\\\"\"]]}]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"61\",{\"children\":[[false,\"And it's something that I experienced. My parents got divorced when I was about 12, and I was living with my mom. And so it wasn't my dad who was looking after us, but I think that made us a very close-knit group, between siblings, and my mom as well. And you kind of almost feel like it's you against everyone else. I wanted to explore the impact that can have on children and it being more complicated than, \\\"Oh, he's a great dad\\\" or \\\"He's not a good dad,\\\" because he's not one or the other. He's just a person, and I wanted to show that so that children who are also going through that, and they're taking those problems to school maybe and they don't feel like they 100 percent fit in with everyone else because there's things going on at home.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"62\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB:\"]}],[false,\" Yeah, totally. What are you excited about exploring in the next installments of the Skandar Smith series, and where are we going next with Skandar and his friends?\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"63\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS: \"]}],[false,\"Well, I'm excited, first of all, because the characters are gonna grow up every year, so they're not gonna stay 13, 14 like they are in the first book. They get into their next year of training and they get to learn more magic, which is always exciting, and kind of different ways to use their elemental magic. So, in the second book, which I think I can tell you, the training focuses on elemental weapons. They're doing, like, elemental jousting. They learn how to make lightning bows and flaming swords, and they kind of try and knock each other off. It's a bit different from the first book, where the magic's a bit less focused. That was quite fun to write about, and hopefully to read about too.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"64\",{\"children\":[[false,\"And also just Skandar's journey. I don't want to do any spoilers, but he's got a long journey to go on. Him growing and trying to accept who he is and where he fits, as well as the other people in his friendship group. They're growing and they're trying to see how they fit together and where they belong and what's important to them. You're gonna see more of that too.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"65\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB: \"]}],[false,\"Yeah, I'm most curious about that twist at the end.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"66\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS: \"]}],[false,\"Mm-hmm, yeah.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"67\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB: \"]}],[false,\"Just, like, the future dramas.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"68\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS: \"]}],[false,\"Drama [laughing].\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"69\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB: \"]}],[false,\"So much future drama coming down the pipeline.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"70\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS: \"]}],[false,\"Yep\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"71\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB:\"]}],[false,\" What do you ultimately hope to bring to the middle-grade genre with the story of Skandar and his friends, if you have a hope? \"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"72\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS: \"]}],[false,\"I think, I mean I wanted to change unicorns. 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Through friendship, basically, I'd like to explore how that can change things for everyone.\"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"74\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"MB: \"]}],[false,\"Mmm yeah.\"],[\"$\",\"b\",\"2\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\" \"]}],[false,\"Well, Annabel, thank you so much for joining us and telling listeners these fun, behind-the-scenes details about \"],[\"$\",\"i\",\"4\",{\"className\":\"italic\",\"children\":[false,\"Skandar and the Unicorn Thief\"]}],[false,\". \"]]}],[\"$\",\"p\",\"75\",{\"children\":[[\"$\",\"b\",\"0\",{\"className\":\"font-bold\",\"children\":[false,\"AS: \"]}],[false,\"Thanks so much for having me. 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