From School Librarian to Children’s Author by Angela Kecojevic
We are pleased to share a fantastic guest post from school librarian Angela Kecojevic on becoming a children’s author.
Angela Kecojevic: From School Librarian to Children’s Author
Books have always been an important part of my life. My mother had a bookshop when I was a child, so my nose was often buried in the latest Enid Blyton novel. The Secret of Killimooin Castle was my favourite. There was an air of danger creeping through the pages – only a little – but enough to set my heart racing – more than a little. It was a treasure of a book and I reread it so many times. In the dark. With a torch. (Just kidding.) Probably because I enjoyed being scared!
My passion for books took me in the direction of school libraries. Becoming a librarian and promoting reading amongst children, especially the older year groups, was the best career move I ever made (before writing!). It’s a challenge sometimes. But when they do take a book – and look excited about it – it’s definitely a cake and coffee moment! Making sure the library is visually exciting is one of my favourite parts of the job. Even the older students seem to appreciate a spooky Halloween display with the latest horror books. Perhaps everything about being a librarian is great!
And now, I love to write books, too.
Scareground is my middle-grade spooky debut. I remember passing Battersea Power Station. It looked incredibly dark and gloomy. I imagined a scary fairground nestled inside. A Scareground! There would be black roses and ghosts and eerie giggles. It would be a world full of illusions and dark magic and charismatic characters. It would be a world that children would want to visit. It was the first time I’d ever scribbled in a notebook in a car. I was desperate to not forget the idea!
R.L. Stein was a great inspiration to me with the Goosebumps series. Alfred Hitchcock too. I spent hours watching their masterclasses on creating suspense. They understood the right balance of fear and reality. It took a lot of practice ensuring the level of scariness was right for Scareground. We do need these children to sleep! I wanted Scareground to offer those ‘jump scare’ moments but also to include other important things like friendship and bravery. I wanted Nancy and Arthur (my protagonists) to face their fears and try to overcome them. Everyone is afraid of something. It’s how we deal with that fear that felt important to me.
Scareground was finally complete during the pandemic. Slipping into the world of ghost trains and funfairs was a welcome distraction, and I was lucky enough to have the amazing Neem Tree Press offer it a home.
I haven’t only written spooky things. I’ve written several books for the Oxford Reading Tree programme (OUP). These include a climate picture book, a comedy, a fairytale, and a mystery adventure book. These will be published sometime in 2024/2025. I’m also the author behind the children’s adventure park, Hobbledown in Surrey. I’ve also written a book for the Marija Kotri Foundation, a children’s charity that promotes the arts in schools in Montenegro. As you can see, my projects have been diverse. But that just makes it all the more fun! Not only that, I have a library full of books whenever I need a break!
About the Author
Angela Kecojevic is a senior librarian, author and creative writing tutor. She has written for the Oxford Reading Tree programme and the multi-award-winning adventure park Hobbledown where her characters can be seen walking around, something she still finds incredibly charming! She is a member of the Climate Writers Fiction League, a group of international authors who use climate issues in their work. Angela lives in the city of Oxford with her family.
About Scareground
Uncover a world of dark magic, forbidden adventures and family secrets when a spooky fairground returns to Victorian London.
Adopted by a family of bakers, 12-year-old orphan Nancy Crumpet’s life is a delightful mix of flour, salt, and love, yet her mind is brimming with questions no one can answer. Where are her birth parents? Why must she keep her mysterious birthmark hidden? And why are all the adults terrified of the fairground?
Faced with an opportunity to enter the Scareground, Nancy and her best friend discover a place of dark magic, where rides come to life and there’s a mystery around every corner. When she meets the fair’s sinister owner, Nancy faces secrets more horrifying than she could ever have imagined.
For more information, visit https://neemtreepress.com/book/scareground
