Betty Steady and the Toad Witch by Nicky Smith-Dale

Sometimes silly and funny books are just what children need to read! Young readers will be thrilled to meet Betty Steady as well as Linda and Greg! Check out Nicky Smith-Dale’s guest blog today!

Where did the idea for Betty Steady come from?

Betty Steady came from the silliest recesses of my brain. Set in the surreal, semi-medieval world of Wobbly Rock, it tells the story of an arrogant young warrior, Betty, who gets cut down to size. Quite literally.

I let my mad sense of humour run free with this book. To give you just a taster, it features a horse wearing tiger-print cycling shorts, twin princesses called Pam and Pamm and an owl who adores bin day. Betty Steady is absurdity through and through and I loved writing it. POLLY PUT THE KETTLE ON!

Betty is a determined and independent character-what inspired her?

Betty Steady oozes with overconfidence. Her catchphrase is, LETS’ GO LICK THE TOENAILS OF ADVENTURE! With all her self-assurance and swagger, she’s the total opposite of me. I think that’s why I created her. I’d love to be more like Betty.

But her arrogance is also her downfall. After she proudly announces that she needs NO STINKING HELP FROM NO ONE, she falls victim to a Toad Witch’s evil spell. I’ve always loved stories where a character’s power is taken away and they are forced to adapt. Without giving away too many spoilers, Betty’s fighting prowess is suddenly diminished. For the first time in her life, she’s forced to draw on more than just her muscles. And she realises that maybe a bit of stinking help is a good thing after all.

We must ask about the bicep names- why did you want to name them and how did you choose them?

Betty’s biceps are called Linda and Greg. They are ENORMOUSLY POWERFUL. So naturally, I thought it would be funny to give them completely normal, ordinary names. I think Linda and Greg sound more like they might be your parents’ friends, who send a lovely Christmas card every year, rather than a couple of bulging arm muscles.

What do you hope readers will take from reading Betty Steady?

More than anything, I want children to have tremendous fun reading this book, which is why I’ve tried to include a laugh on every page. The illustrations by Sarah Horne are absolutely hilarious and add so much to the story.

As well as all the madness, there is a sweet message about teamwork, with Betty discovering the importance of friendship. The book also features a lot of wordplay and figurative language which I think would make it a great class read for Key Stage 2. But ultimately Betty Steady is pure silliness and joy!

What can we hope to see in Betty’s next adventure?

Betty learns a few lessons in this book (mainly about the power of friendship and how to stop being such a stubborn show-off). But in her next adventure, her friendships are put to the test. Without giving too much away, Betty is still affected by the Toad Witch’s nasty spell, and her ego is dented. But, Betty being Betty, she faces new challenges head on, flexing her biceps like the hero she is.

Tell us about your writing process?

The Betty Steady books feature plenty of jokes, puns and wordplay. There’s even some poetry coming up in the series! Working with language in this way, I tend to write fairly slowly, and I heavily edit as I go along. In terms of planning, I plot a rough outline, then fill in the details as I write. Often the characters will do something unexpected, which takes the story in a delightful tangent. But that’s where the fun lies. I have enjoyed writing Betty Steady more than anything I’ve ever written, and I can’t wait for readers to meet her!