Caroline Ovink

Caroline lives with her family in north London. She is mum to a four-year-old and a two-year-old (who are very similar to a pair of noisy duracell bunnies and equally as adorable) and works as a lawyer. She loved reading and writing stories as a little girl (including endless plays which her long-suffering siblings were forced to perform and for which her long-suffering parents had to feign sufficient enthusiasm). She has only just started writing stories as an adult again in the last couple of years and now can’t understand why she ever stopped.

What made you enter the competition?

I knew that the Cheshire Novel Prize for Kids provided feedback for every entry. I thought that would be really valuable for me, as I knew that I loved writing but I wasn't at all sure that I was any good at it. I was too embarrassed to show anyone else my work but the idea of getting neutral advice from an expert seemed too good an opportunity to pass up. I was also (in retrospect) very lucky to have a week where I couldn't move or even properly sit up following routine surgery and I used that rare opportunity of enforced stillness to try and work through as much of my story as possible in my head.

What did it feel like when you were LL and then SL?

It felt both completely unreal (I can't tell you how many times I read and re-read the email when I got longlisted to check that I was reading it right) and the most amazing thrill! When Sara rang to tell me I had been shortlisted I think I may have told her it was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to me. Which is a bit embarrassing but still true!

What was the reaction from those around you/family and friends?

Total shock, given that my husband was the only person who knew I did any creative writing, and I hadn't told anyone at all that I was writing a book or that I had entered a competition. Once I had managed to explain it all everyone was so excited as they know it's an absolute dream come true for me.

How did you come up with the idea for your book?

I was watching a neighbourhood cat patrolling up and down the fence at the bottom of our garden. There is a long fence which separates all the gardens of the terraced houses on our road and the road behind us, and the cat seemed to be keeping a careful watch on everyone, everywhere. It made me wonder, what if the cat was actually conducting surveillance? And what if the cat was part of a team….?

What’s it about?

The book is about a band of neighbourhood animals who come together to use their own particular skills to solve mysteries. There is a cat who is the brains of the operation; a fox who is her second in command and brings everyone together; a pigeon who can conduct aerial reconnaissance; a slug who attaches himself under things or in corners so he can listen into secret conversations; and a squirrel who can uncover the tiniest fragments of evidence hidden anywhere. It is only when they work together that the animals manage to solve the baffling mystery of the biscuit burglaries.

What’s your writing routine?

Working in a pretty busy and high-pressure job and looking after two small kids takes up most of my time, so writing is generally squeezed into the slot after the kids having gone to bed and I’ve finished house chores/work/life admin and before dinner (we eat quite late and my house is a mess…).

What’s next for you?

Well, I need to edit this book following feedback to make it as good as it can possibly be. Since being long-listed I've written the first draft of another book (a middle grade story about a pair of siblings who have to solve the mystery of a missing historical artefact, using historical spy techniques, set in a castle and involving a very contemporary deception) and I’m going starting to edit that now too, using everything I’ve learned from this competition. Being shortlisted for the Cheshire Novel Prize for Kids has completely renewed my love for writing- it feels like something I can legitimately enjoy and maybe even take seriously now!

What are your favourite children’s books and why?

As a child I loved Watership Down, the Animals of Farthing Wood series, the Famous Five, Danny the Champion of the World (the list could go on and on..). As a parent, I've become a big fan of books by Julia Donaldson and by Paul Linnett and Sue Hendra and the Frog on a Log series.

Any tips for writers intending on entering the competition?

Please do just go for it. With the feedback provided in this competition, you can only benefit from giving it a go and you never know what might happen. I think most writers feel what they have written isn't good enough- you're not necessarily the best judge of your own work!