Coral Vass continues to draw on her own childhood experiences to explore friendship and young people's emotions in the latest instalment of the Amanda Commander series: The Green-Eyed Monster, this time exploring jealousy.

How was the process of writing this latest instalment of the Amanda Commander series?

I think it’s becoming easier to write stories about Amanda, because with each book I am getting to know her better, know how she would react to certain situations and how she chooses to show kindness.

Did you have any personal experiences that contributed to this new book?

I love the theatre; going to the theatre and being involved in Productions. I love directing shows for young people, whether it be school shows or community theatre. Being on stage in front of an audience is a great way for a young person to build confidence, which is a life skill. So, this book was not only a joy to write but it was easy to write from my own experience of youth theatre. I was certainly able to use my personal experiences in writing this book.

You have written quite a range of books throughout your career. Where do you find your inspiration for each new story?

I get my ideas from everywhere; from life experiences, things I see, and then I use my imagination to flesh it out and make it grander and more interesting. 

With Amanda’s life in particular, I try to include some of my own experiences as a child, as well as my own children’s experiences at school, which are universal and hopefully relatable to everyone.

As this is the fifth book in this series, what have been your favourite moments in writing the stories or interacting with your readers?

I have thoroughly enjoyed writing each and every book in the series. I have also loved hearing great responses from students when I’ve visited schools, about how much they love the series. I remember one particular occasion, when I spent a day in a Primary School writing stories with students in years 3 and 4, one avid young reader hadn’t seen a copy of the latest Amanda book. So, she asked me if she could read my copy of the book in her lunchbreak. She spent the entire lunchbreak reading the book, returning it to me in the session after lunch, and telling me how much she enjoyed the book.

What has been most exciting or challenging about writing the Amanda Commander series?

It’s been such a thrill to have written this series and to have it enjoyed by children. But the biggest thrill is seeing this series exceed my expectations. When I first pitched this series, I was just delighted with three books in the series, but now to have seen the 5th book out, and with two more on the way, I feel very blessed and grateful.

The Green-Eyed Monster has some powerful themes about jealousy. What was it like to explore this theme?

I think jealousy is a very real emotion which we all feel at times. But left uncontrolled, it can actually affect friendships, our choices and our character. I think it’s important to acknowledge and address jealousy as something we all feel, and what we can do about it when we feel jealous. I wanted to touch on this theme as it’s an important emotion to master in our lives. I think particularly as women, we are more concerned about being in competition with other women than championing other women

What do you hope readers will take away from The Green-Eyed Monster?

I know for my own children I’ve always tried to tell them to ‘run their own race’. Not everyone is good at everything, and when we learn to celebrate and champion others for what they are skilled at, we feel better about ourselves and our own skills and abilities. I hope this book encourages readers to celebrate who they are, their own strengths and abilities and not covert what other have (abilities or appearance etc).

What was it like to work with an illustrator on this story? Were there particular images or experiences that you were excited to see?

I have the utmost respect and am in awe of Heidi’s work. She is an incredible illustrator, who goes above and beyond what I can imagine. I am always excited to see what she comes up with, and to see how she interprets the text. Her work always blows my mind. 

I was particularly excited to see how Heidi was going to illustrate the stage and the sets in the play in this book. Again, she blew my expectations and did an amazing job illustrating this book.

Do you have any other projects in the works?

I have just completed book #7 in the Amanda Commander Series. I am also looking forward to starting a spin off series for boys, based on Amanda’s brother, partnering with the incredible illustrator Heidi Cooper Smith again.