Q&A with Kita Mitchell- The House of Secret Treasure

We love asking authors questions about their current books to gain some insight into the inspirations and their backgrounds. Kita was kind enough to answer our questions about The House of Secret Treasure.

Where did the inspiration for The House of Secret Treasure come from?

When I was five, and a huge fan of Captain Pugwash, my parents inherited a house from an aunt they’d never met. There was a lot to do before it was sold, so we went to stay for a bit. Sea View wasn’t much like Hogweed Hall – it was tiny, with a leaky roof and a lot of mice. Photos showed the aunt was a keen sailor – and the discovery of coconut-shell maracas and a stuffed parrot confirmed my suspicions. She had definitely been a pirate. I spent the week digging in the garden with my plastic spade. The disappointment of not finding any treasure is still with me. The book is about what could have happened.

Is Hogweed Hall based on any place in particular or a mix of large estates from your imagination?

I love old houses, particularly the ones with cellars and attics and tiny corridors that disappear off to mysterious places. Hogweed Hall is a combination of the best bits of all the buildings I’ve ever visited – with the oak of a thousand plundered ships thrown in.

Jess and George have a typical sibling relationship – squabbles, rivalry…do you have siblings and were you similar when younger?

I grew up with three siblings. Our house wasn’t big, and I shared a bedroom with my two sisters. They were better than me at almost everything. I think we did fight a lot. Possibly because I used to amuse myself by putting holly in their beds and soap on their toothbrushes ahahahah.

How old are your daughters and do they get along well?

My daughters are almost grown up. They’re fourteen, sixteen, eighteen and twenty. They’re very different but mainly nice to each other, which is lovely.

I loved the twists and turns in this tale – were they easy to balance throughout the story?

I always have an idea of where the story is going, but once I start, things veer off in unexpected directions. Then it gets complicated! I love that though, it’s like working on a giant puzzle. The House of Secret Treasure was loads of fun to write – pirates, dodos, complicated family relationships, they’re all in there!

Boris is a fantastic dog – I love the idea of him knocking over dinosaur bones and then acting as though nothing happened – is there a Boris in your life?

I don’t have a Boris. All my doggy knowledge comes from dogs that belong to friends. I love the fact dogs can do something really bad, then sit there looking completely innocent. Boris is a wolfhound, and the first time I met one of those I almost ran away. They’re ENORMOUS!

What are you working on now?

It’s a secret and I’m not allowed to tell you.

What books did you like to read as a child?

All of them! We didn’t have a television, so I used to read a lot. I had so many favourites. When I was young it was Raymond Briggs and Roald Dahl, then Tintin and Asterix. Stashed under my pillow was a copy of The Practical Joker’s Handbook. When I was a bit older, I read all the Agatha Christies – that’s where my love of a tangled plot comes from.

What are you currently reading?

I’ve just finished the The Life and Time of Lonny Quicke by Kirsty Applebaum, and Brightstorm by Vashti Hardy. Both are brilliant.

The House of Secret Treasure is available now, published by Scholastic Books.