Jonathan Clark

Author of Tomorrow 2019 - Jonathan Clark

A Scarred White Stone by Jonathan Clark (age 15) is shortlisted for the 2019 Author of Tomorrow. 

Ancient sorcery, fighting dwarves, legends from the past. A stone engraved with mysterious writing sends Derrin onto a journey deep into the Wild Northlands. What will he find there as his land's past rises into the present?

  1. What is your favourite book? 
    The Bible. (My favourite fiction book is Bleak House by Charles Dickens)
  2. Who is your favourite author? Or one who has inspired you and why?

My favourite author is CS Lewis. I love the way he, the narrator, talks to us, the reader.

3. What is your favourite subject at school?

History.

4. What does ‘adventure writing’ mean to you? Why did you choose to try your hand at an adventure story?

To me adventure writing means something like the Famous Five; characters getting into scrapes. I chose to try my hand at it because its really broad so there's a lot you can write about.

5. If you could ask an author anything, what would you want to know?

CS Lewis, where are the mothers of all your dwarf characters?

6. Who would you consider one of your heroes and why? (This does not have to be a writer…)

Oliver Cromwell. Because he fought for religious freedom and better government.

7. What is the most adventurous thing you would like to do, or place you would like to visit and why?

I would like to climb Ben Nevis because it's the highest mountain in the UK. I'm not really bothered about doing adventurous things abroad.

8. Where do you find inspiration for your stories? (Books, historical events, famous adventurers/explorers, news etc.)

Places, you see a spectacular view and think "This place needs a brilliant story set in it".

9. If you could time travel, where would you go and why? 

I would go to first century Palestine to meet Jesus. If I had time on the way back I'd stop off at the end of the 5th century to see if King Arthur was real and if so, what he was like.

10. What three words would you use to describe your story?

Echoing, shadowy and a bit grey.