In his new book Ruby and the Pen, David Lawrence skillfully infuses his own life experiences into a magical narrative, creating a relatable and imaginative story that resonates with young readers.

What do you love about writing children's books?

It’s fun! The readers in this age group have wonderful imaginations, allowing me to create characters and situations that are quirky yet still relatable. My family and friends often say I ‘never grew up’, so my passion for writing children’s books isn’t very surprising. I love interacting with kids who have read my books – they often know the plots and characters in far more detail than I do! There’s nothing better than hearing from a child (or more often their parent) that one of your books was the reason they started reading.

What inspired you to write Ruby and the Pen?

The spark was the phrase: The pen is mightier than the sword. I was pretty sure kids who were being bullied at school would think, ‘Really? Are you sure about that?’ Then an idea popped into my head. ‘What if we evened up the score by making the pen magic?’ and that started the ball rolling. One of the few positives of COVID was that it gave me the time to sit down and write the manuscript.

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

As with all my books, quite a few! My Dad was in the army so we moved around almost every year which meant constantly starting at new schools. You never forget the kids who were kind when you first arrive at a new school … or the ones who were mean. Like Ruby, I ended up going to boarding school and my bed was also short-sheeted! None of the Principals at any of my schools were as bad as Mr Lemon, whose character is based on some abysmal political and business leaders with big egos and low EQ’s.

You’ve mentioned in the past that the themes your books focus on are: bullying, racism, leadership, teamwork, and supporting others around you. How does this story speak into those themes?

Just like in real life, the bullies in Ruby and the Pen come in all shapes and sizes: Ruby’s mum’s boyfriend, students, teachers, the Headmaster and the Mayor! And if bullies aren’t called out or stood up to, they only get worse and infect those around them. Unlike in real life, most of the bullies in the book get their comeuppance, but at least one of them (Sasha) demonstrates she can grow. If only a bit! Racism isn’t a recurring issue in Ruby and the Pen – although the bullies do make fun of Fav’s name. In terms of leadership there’s some great role models in Fav, Andre, two of the teachers and eventually Ruby herself – they all do the right thing without worrying about how it might affect their popularity or get them into trouble. But importantly there’s also some shocking examples, primarily the Headmaster Mr Lemon. The teamwork theme comes to the fore when Ruby, Fav, Andre and Dougal work together with their different skills to avert an environmental disaster. The importance of supporting those around you is best expressed in Ruby’s relationship with Fav, and eventually her relationship with her mother.

Was there anything new that you explored with this story?

All my previous books were set in the ‘real world’, but the Pen series introduces an element of fantasy for the first time. It was a lot of fun to open up my mind and write about what a 12-year-old could do with a magical pen!

How did the writing process of this book compare to your previous children’s books?

The process was similar to how I wrote my very first book Anna Flowers back in 2007. I start by developing the key characters, then flesh out a one page outline and gradually build the story from there. After finishing each chapter I run them past a group of kids in the target age group for their feedback. They are brutally honest, and that’s invaluable!

What do you hope your readers will take away from Ruby and the Pen?

Firstly I want them to feel entertained; it’s important that reading is enjoyable and not a punishment. I also hope they’ll think about some of the key messages: not taking short cuts, sharing their problems, caring for the environment, and knowing that kids do have a voice.

What was it like to work with an illustrator on this story?

Fantastic! The Publisher recommended the amazing Cherie Dignam and she sent through some initial Ruby sketches showcasing her wonderful, distinctive and detailed style. Cherie had really firm ideas about how the book should look and recommended not to make Ruby’s cartoon drawings the focus of the illustrations. This ended up being a fantastic call!

Were there particular images or experiences that you were excited to see?

I remember seeing the draft of the very first drawing in the book and was totally blown away! It was of Ruby’s bedroom and the detail was incredible. I couldn’t believe how Cherie had captured so many bits and pieces from the text.

Do you have any other projects in the works?

Xander and the Pen comes out in November and I’ve just finished the manuscript of book 3 in the series called Finn and the Pen. In late November Shelley Ware and I will be working with a group of students from the Tiwi Islands to help them write their own book. This is part of the Create Initiative with the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, that is always generously backed by a large publishing company. This will be the fifth time Shelley and I have teamed up with the Tiwi kids and it’s an absolute joy to see them holding up a printed book at the end of the week that will be sold around the country and overseas.