An interview with author Francesco Bedini and illustrator Stefano Tambellini, creators of My Cat is Called Odin
We have a brilliant blog today where readers will gain some insight into My Cat is Called Odin by Francesco Bedini and Stefano Tambellini.
An interview with author Francesco Bedini and illustrator Stefano Tambellini, creators of My Cat is Called Odin
For fans of Loki, Warrior Cats and Percy Jackson comes a new action-packed, fantasy adventure series inspired by Norse and Greek myths, translated from Italian into English for the first time. Perfect for ages 8-12, this epic adventure involves a mysterious portal, mythical beasts and dangerous battles. The stories are humorous, gripping and pacey, and filled with heroic plots that will hook reluctant readers. Themes of grit, friendship and finding confidence in adversity make this a series with huge potential for the classroom, as well as the home library. Author Francesco Bedini and illustrator Stefano Tambellini join us to introduce their new series…
Francesco, can you tell us a bit about your new book?
FB: Aldo, the main character in My Cat is Called Odin, loves comic books. One night a strange cat lands on Aldo’s doorstep. Aldo and his pesky sister Petra have no idea that this one-eyed cat is actually Odin, the Norse god of poetry and war. Aldo and his best friends from the Comic Club, soon realise that they must prepare for an epic battle against the Shadow Wolves and save the world from Ragnarök.
Where did you get the inspiration for this story?
FB: I have always loved reading comic books, ever since I was a little boy. However, I am not very good at drawing, but that hasn’t stopped me from doodling as often as I can. In fact, the idea of Odin came from one of my terrible sketches. I drew a cat who had one eye bigger than the other and when I erased the bigger eye, it somehow transformed into an eye-patch…
Stefano, did you find it easy to start imagining what the story would look like once you had read the text?
ST: Yes, it was rather immediate. Quicker than with other books. This is the first young fantasy book I have illustrated, which was something I have always wanted to do. The first character sketches I sent were immediately approved by the publisher, who only requested some minor amends.
How do you create your images – on paper, all digital, a mix of both?
For this series, I first sketched the images on paper and then finalised everything digitally. But I have also worked with mixed techniques or only ink and paper on other projects.
How did you feel when you saw the final book of My Cat is Called Odin?
ST: I was really happy. I was particularly pleased with the cover, especially as it was the first book in the series.
Do you have any favourite illustrations in the book? Could you pick out a few and talk about those a little?
ST: It’s hard to look back at illustrations you’ve drawn some time ago, because you notice some imperfections… hahaha! But I still like the first page in this book, where we see the snow-covered village, the woods and the boys playing with their swords. I believe it’s a good introduction to the wonderful atmosphere and feeling of adventure we find in the book. I also like the chapter headers, (which we updated in each volume of the series) where I played with the use of silhouettes and shadows, shadows being a main theme throughout the book. I also find the page where Fenrir, the shadow Wolf, jumps out of the bonfire very powerful.
Francesco, what is your typical writing day like?
FB: When I write, I close myself in my ‘lab’. When I say ‘close myself’ I mean, I lock the door and pull down the window blinds, just to make sure nobody interrupts me. The best time of day to write is the morning. I drop my kids off at school and then I head back to my lab, and sit in front of my computer…and I don’t get up until lunch time.
What do you enjoy most about being an author?
FB: The best part is being able to think about the stories I am writing whenever I want throughout the day and never get bored!
What is the biggest challenge when writing?
FB: The biggest challenge is deciding which one of my hundred ideas to pick for a new story. Luckily, once I start writing, all the other story ideas ‘take a little nap’ and patiently wait for their turn.
And for you, Stefano, what are your most and least favourite parts of the job?
ST: I enjoy the freedom you have in shaping a story. It’s like directing a movie. You choose the faces, costumes, setting and finally you create images and direct the action… all from your desk at home. Thie biggest challenge is working on different projects simultaneously. It can be hard to balance the amount of time needed on each project.
Do you have any favourite illustrators?
ST: My all-time favourites are Maurice Sendak, Tove Jansson and Tomi Ungerer. Among actively working illustrators my favourites are Carson Ellis, Julia Sardà and Beatrice Alemagna.
Francesco, what are your top tips for budding young writers?
FB: Read as much as you can and give yourself time to daydream about your characters’ adventures.
Are you working on anything now?
FB: I am working on an idea for a scary, fantasy story, featuring giant monsters… but I can’t tell you more.
And finally, a question for both of you – tell us some surprising things about you or where you live!
FB: I live in Ferrara, Italy, which is a beautiful city surrounded by tall medieval walls. In the centre of the city lies a magnificent castle with a very deep moat filled with water and mysterious animals (well, the mysterious animals bit is not true, but the rest is…)! In addition to being an author, I am also a luthier. A luthier is a person who builds and repairs stringed musical instruments. I build and repair Electric Guitars. I love reading comic books, and I am passionate about music and films.
ST: I live in the centre of Lucca, Italy, in an old house built in the 1700s. The house has an ancient cellar, dug deep into the ground, with a tub that’s 3 metres long and filled with water. Maybe there’s some ancient creature living in this tub? There’s also a black cat who comes to visit regularly and tries to destroy my couch with his claws. And there is probably a ghost living in the abandoned attic upstairs. It wakes me up every Friday at 5am. During my free time I create stop-motion animated films together with my sister, Alice, who is an animator. We build movie sets and puppets, and write bizarre storylines. Our latest film is called ‘Impossible Maladies’.
My Cat is Called Odin, by Francesco Bedini, illustrated by Stefano Tambellini, translated by Sara Copeland Benjamin is published by Five Quills, £8.99 paperback. www.fivequills.co.uk
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