Ruth Hatfield Interview: On The Book of Storms trilogy, travelling, and bringing plants and animals to life
Ruth Hatfield is a writer and archaeologist, known for her The Book of Storms trilogy. The series is aimed at children and teens and follows Danny, whos parents are storm chasers...
Ruth chatted to us about her adventures abroad, putting personalities of people she knows into her books, and combining archaeology with being an author.
On the conception of The Book of Storms:
"And I thought, this is one that's actually worth working one."
On using herself and people she knows as inspiration:
"I've known this person a long time, and I've always thought they have a particular set of character traits that make a wonderful fictional character."
On giving plants and animals voices in her books:
"I tried to make it as believable as it could be."
On which animal she'd talk to if she could:
"I have a horse [...] and I think I know her opinions on a lot of things. She makes them very very clear."
On enjoying putting horses into her books:
"Horses give you freedom."
On the places her archaeology jobs have taken her:
"I've dug in Oman which is absolutely beautiful and geologically fascinating."
On combining archaeology projects with writing:
"Only writing is very very isolating and I don't have the temperament, really, to do it full time."
On the appeal of the volatility of weather:
"I like the spectacular look of a storm and I like it when you get caught - when there's no option to retreat. Because if there's an option to retreat, I'll always retreat."
On the research she does - or doesn't do - for her books:
"I like the fantastical element of being able to go, 'But actually this is my storm. It's going to do what I want, and say what I want'."
On needing a bit of a break after writing The Book of Storms trilogy:
"The first book was many years in development and in work, and then once I got a publishing contract, the second two books had to come out BAM, BAM."
On what to look out for in the future:
"It's about time travel."
Thanks to Ruth for speaking to us!
We hope you enjoyed these interview highlights! For more on Ruth Hatfield check out her website.
Listening Books members can borrow The Book of Storms to download and stream.
This interview was by Abigail Jaggers. It was adapted for online by Holly Newson.
Picture credit: Ruth Hatfield
