Pizza Pete and the Missing Magic by Carrie Sellon

Carrie Sellon’s debut middle grade novel, Pizza Pete and the Perilous Potions (2023) was a Times Children’s Book of the Week, won the InspiREAD Book Awards (shorter book category), was longlisted for the SPARK Book Award, and is currently shortlisted for The Week Junior Book Awards. This September Pizza Pete is back in his second fun, magical adventure and as Carrie prepares to hit the road on a UK schools tour to promote her new book, she shares with us her reflections on planning and delivering events – from nervous first timer to seasoned pro!

 

How did you begin to formulate your first event for Pizza Pete?

I didn’t have a clue where to start but I’m lucky enough to live down the road from author Jo Clarke (The Travelling School Mysteries), who kindly let me shadow her doing a local school event. That set me off on the right track and I structured my own event, creating a powerpoint (with help from my ten-year-old!) and thinking about ways to make it as fun and interactive as possible.

How did you find the public speaking aspect initially?

I was terrified! The last time I’d presented to a large group of people was when I worked at the BBC making wildlife films, many moons ago. I started by practising in front of my dog, Mabel, who listened attentively before humping my leg which I took as a good sign. Next, I presented to my children, who couldn’t take me seriously and kept on putting their hands up to ask silly questions. Finally, the time came for my first school visit, which I’d organised at my children’s primary school. I was told I’d be in the cosy library, with the children sitting on the floor around my feet, but I discovered I’d been moved to the assembly hall – a huge space with a stage and a microphone. The children were already in there when I arrived, so I didn’t have a second to catch my breath. I launched straight into my talk, mouth dry and heart thumping, wishing the ground would swallow me, but I got through it, and a couple of children laughed in the right places. After that, my publicist had booked two weeks of back-to-back school visits, and they got a little easier and a little less scary each time. I’m about to start school visits for my second book, Pizza Pete and the Missing Magic, and I’m actually looking forward to them.

What do you think are the key elements for a successful author event?

Keep it fun and interactive. The most popular part of my talk is at the end when I show the children my mysterious briefcase full of magical potions and get them designing their own magical pizzas. The teachers hand out a worksheet that I’ve sent them in advance (with a pizza template), and a pencil, and I tell them to let their imaginations run wild. It’s a chance for the children to have a little fidget, after sitting still for such a long time, then they settle down and get creative. They come up with all sorts of crazy ideas – toenail and Nutella pizza, anyone? – and it gives me a chance to walk around the room, seeing their designs and having a little chat.

How would you suggest schools prepare for an author visit?

It makes such a difference if schools can create a bit of a buzz about an author before they visit. I always send a short video introducing myself, which (hopefully) the teachers show the children before I arrive. If teachers can read students the first couple of pages of my new book, even better. Putting up posters and asking children to think of questions beforehand are great ideas. There are other little things that schools can do which all help: reserve a parking space, offer a cup of tea (we often get up very early and travel long distances to get to schools in time for assembly!) and the most important one: set up the powerpoint in advance to save time when we arrive. In terms of book sales, it really helps if schools let parents know in advance about an author visit, so they have a chance to order a book if they’d like to.

What do you hope your audience takes away from one of your events?

When I was fourteen Benjamin Zephaniah came to visit our school. That evening I declared to my parents that I was going to be a poet. That didn’t work out for me – in fact I ended up studying sciences and languages rather than English at A-level – but I do remember the excitement of meeting an actual poet, who’d published real books! I’m not saying everyone should aspire to be an author after my visit, but hopefully I can inspire even the reluctant readers to pick up a book, try their local library, maybe even give writing a go. If children take a book home and read it, their parents notice and encourage them to keep reading. School librarians get excited as they get a sudden upsurge of kids taking books out. I want to create a bit of a buzz, get a whole school excited, maybe even inspire the staff to try writing!

What made you want to offer workshops as well as bigger assemblies?

Workshops are great – they are a chance to really connect with a smaller group of children (I ask for max of 30) and get deeper into the nitty gritty of creative writing. You get to hear their ideas and feel like you’re making a real difference.

How do you approach workshops differently from larger events?

In my assemblies I talk about how and why I became a children’s author and we take a peek inside my author’s toolkit. I pass around my magical potions and we design crazy, magical pizzas together, then I do a reading from one of my books and end with a Q&A. My workshops usually come after an assembly, so the children know all about me and my books, and we come together for a more focused session. In my year 5/6 workshops, I teach the children how to write strong, character-based stories with my foolproof Story Pizza method. For years 3/4, I base the workshop around my briefcase full of magical potions. We create new potions, design magical pizzas and have a go at writing short stories together.

What can teachers and librarians do to help your events run smoothly?

It saves time if teachers can help to pass around worksheets and pencils, but the most helpful thing is crowd control!

Any favourite moments or audience questions from your events so far?

The questions are always hilarious and often nothing to do with books. Why are you so tall? Which football team do you support? What’s your favourite colour? And always: how old are you, to which I give them a very complicated calculation and leave them scratching their heads.

Any lessons learned from doing events so far?

Prepare as far in advance as possible, especially if you’re organising the event yourself. It can take time to find a local bookshop who can arrange pre-orders and collect money on the day. Check that the school has received your powerpoint, worksheets and introductory video. If you’re being paid for your event, ask the school how they would like you to invoice. Don’t expect to be paid straight away – you often have to chase. Don’t drink too much coffee before your event otherwise you get the jitters (just me?)

Do you chat to other authors about planning events, and share horror stories and triumphs to help each other?

I have a brilliantly supportive Twitter group of authors who all had debut books out in the same year. We share tips and ideas about events as well as horror stories, such as the time a child picked up my phone and threw it at a teacher. Thankfully that was a one off. Most events have been wonderful, fun and life-affirming.

 

 

Pizza Pete and the Missing Magic by Carrie Sellon, illustrated by Sarah Horne, is published by Guppy, 12th September 2024, ISBN 9781916558106. www.carriesellon.co.uk

 

Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Federation.