Q&A with The Brothers McLeod
Knight Sir Louis has been entertaining readers for several adventures now. We were recently offered the chance to ask creators, The Brothers McLeod a few questions! Check out their brilliant replies!
Knight Sir Louis has taken the book world by storm and now has a popular following – did you ever expect such a reaction from these?
The first book was written for an audience of one – Greg’s son – the real Louis! The sole intention of that book was to write something he would enjoy and find funny; a bedtime story to suit his tastes. There is a lot of silliness, nonsense and fun, but the backbone of the story is about friendship. We really wanted to make the book easy to read in terms of structure, with easy wins – like short chapters – and some comics – to encourage Louis’ interest. We deliberately changed writing styles too – diary, gothic, fairytale – to ensure it never became boring (or predictable) to read.
Of course, we didn’t know that one day the books would be read by so many more children. It’s wonderful that they’re now as popular as they are. I think perhaps the secret is in those origins. There are a clearly a lot of children who like the same things as Louis (who is now 21, by the way!)
What have you found to be the most fun and exciting element of creating books for young readers?
Perhaps the most fun comes at the beginning and at the end. In the beginning, Greg and I sit down and discuss ideas for the new book. We’ll discuss new characters that could be in a new adventure. Who’s the new baddy going to be? What funny places might Louis travel to? Greg will sketch out illustrations for the characters and we’ll have fun choosing who’s going to make it into the new story. That’s a fun collaborative part of the process before I head off to write the first draft.
The end is also fun because that means taking the book on the road to school events with Authors Aloud or to book festivals arranged by Liz Scott and Guppy Books. Greg and I used to work in a studio together, but these days we work from our respective homes, so we don’t see each other as much. It’s nice to go on the road and perform our workshop side by side.
When writing for TV you hardly get any feedback from your audience because you’re not with the viewers (hiding behind 100,000 sofas!) But with book events you connect directly with the readers and see their response to your stories and illustrations.
Have you learned any great lessons about creating books that you wish you had known?
Somewhere along the line you learned any great lessons about creating books that you wish you had known?e I picked up the idea that a book is only a book if (a) it’s written by one person and (b) it must be all words and no pictures. This is not only untrue, but it also increases the pressure on yourself to achieve everything alone (for no good reason). I do enjoy working alone and by myself much of the time, but I don’t think it’s good to be like that ALL of the time.
Bella our editor and publisher has made a material difference to what is in the books. When you’re lost in the fog of story, Bella is an ace at pointing out the direction of travel. Without her input the books would not be what they are. For example, often, when I’m at a loss for what happens next, I’ll create a new character. That is usually the WRONG strategy. The focus must always return to Louis. It’s his story!
Greg’s illustrations are an integral part of the DNA of the books. They are, in fact, the origin of the books, because his sketches and illustrations were what inspired me to write a story.
What do you have planned next for this series and the characters?
We are currently discussing new baddies. The baddy defines the adventure in so many ways – and gets prime real estate on the front cover! So far, we’ve had a wizard who turns into a giant potato waffle, a double-headed dragon, a giant slime monster and very large, very sinister snowball. Every book is a stand-alone story so you can read them in any order. We’ve also discussed doing a spin-off graphic novel, but it’s early days.
Do you have any favourite characters or least favourite characters?
I think Louis is a reassuring character for children because he’s so grounded, stable and brave. But people often say they like Catalogue, because she’s funny. They also like Dave the magic sword (who is a very bad singer). And the friendly dragon Mac n Cheese is popular (mostly because of the name!)
I don’t think there’s anyone in the books we aren’t happy with. But if you asked me who I’d least like to meet, I think that would be Borax the double-headed dragon from book 2. Yikes.
While the books have hugely hilarious moments, is there anything else you hope readers will take from this series?
The importance of friendship is key to the books. Knight Sir Louis isn’t a lone champion fighting against the villain. He can only succeed when he enlists the help of his friends Catalogue and Pearlin and others. Resilience is important to. Sometimes Louis feels defeated or upset, but he recovers and sets out with renewed determination to save the day.
What type of reaction do you get from readers who attend events where you are leading a session or workshop?
Our events go down well. We’ve received some lovely feedback from kids, teachers and parents. Greg spent years playing very loud drums in a band so he’s used to performing. I did a stand-up comedy course with James Cook a while back too and that helped a lot too. Liz Scott organises a lot of our festival events. She is a legend. We’re also on the books of Authors Aloud and they make the whole process very smooth. Meeting the audience like that is a real privilege of being an author today. I know and understand that some authors find it onerous, but we love it.
Myles is a screenwriter, author and poet; and Greg is an illustrator, director and animator. As the Brothers McLeod, they have written, produced and directed short films, children’s series and numerous other original animations. Their new animated series, Circle Square, is coming out on Channel 5’s Milkshake in the summer 2021. They’ve won a Children’s BAFTA and were nominated for a BAFTA Film Award in the Short Animation category and count Aardman, the BBC, Disney, Dreamworks, Royal Shakespeare Company, and the London Science Museum as clients. Myles’ writing credits also include pre-school TV hits The Octonauts, Tilly and Friends, the Clangers and Hey Duggee.
You can follow The Brothers McLeod: Twitter @brothersmcleod | Instagram brothersmcleod | knightsirlouis.com
Knight Sir Louis and the Cauldron of Chaos by The Brothers McLeod is available now.
Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Federation.
