Author of Tomorrow 2019 – Clara MacDonald

The Phoenix Feather by Clara Macdonald (age 11) is shortlisted for the 2019 Author of Tomorrow.

A brave adventurer tries to capture the mysterious, magical phoenix. But the Phoenix will not go quietly…

1. What is your favourite book?
   I don’t have, and have never really had one favourite book - there are just too many to choose from! My interests in reading have changed throughout my life, but right now I am enjoying The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins.
2. Who is your favourite author? Or one who has inspired you and why?
   I really enjoy reading Hilary McKay’s books because she is extremely good at writing realistically about children’s thoughts which I think is quite hard to do well.
3. What is/was your favourite subject at school?
   I especially enjoy P.E. and Art, but writing has to be my favourite subject. I love how creative you can be, and how you can always improve a piece of writing, how it is never quite finished!
4. What does ‘adventure writing’ mean to you? Why did you choose to try your hand at an adventure story?
   To me, a piece of adventure writing needs to have an exciting plot, one that surprises you and makes you want to read on. I wanted to write an adventure story because it was a new genre to try and they are the kind of stories I like to read myself.
5. If you could ask an author anything, what would you want to know?
   Sometimes when I am writing a story I get stuck with it. I would love to know how authors get themselves out of writers’ block!
6. Who would you consider one of your heroes and why? (This does not have to be a writer…)
   I consider one of my heroes to be Laura Muir. She is an amazing athlete. She is one of my heroes because I know determined she is in each race she runs. You can see the concentration and determination on her face. She does not give up and gives everything.
7. What is the most adventurous thing you would like to do, or place you would like to visit and why?
   If I could go anywhere, I would love to go to the rainforest to see all the amazing animals and kayak on the Amazon river.
8. Where do you find inspiration for your stories? (Books, historical events, famous adventurers/explorers, news etc.)
   Usually, an idea just pops into my head, but I also find inspiration in images of unusual creatures and intriguing landscapes.
9. If you could time travel, where would you go and why?
   I would go back to when the suffragettes were protesting, it would be amazing to see the whole future of woman’s rights change for the better!
10. What three words would you use to describe your story?
    Mythical, atmospheric and gripping!