MUSE MONDAY - The "Anmails" of Griselda Gifford
This Monday, the unicorn welcomes author Griselda Gifford...
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| Griselda Gifford |
Who or what is your muse?
Griselda: I think animals of all kinds, from mice to dogs and ponies, have been my muse. Our Springer, Tia, is sitting now by my feet, inspiring me!
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| Tia |
Griselda: First inspiration for writing – my “Anmails” (I still can’t spell!) diary at ten years old – featuring birth of rabbits – sitting in an old garage with my rabbit at my side. Also, spending a whole afternoon sitting alone in a field reading Black Beauty at eight years old – surely this marvellous book was the inspiration for War Horse? I tried to teach my tame mice to walk along a piece of string, for a circus idea – alas, they weren’t keen!
Does your muse appear in any of your books and/or artwork?
Griselda: Nearly all my books have animals in them from wildcats to bolting horses (all horses bolt when I get on!)
If you won the lottery and had complete artistic freedom, what would your muse write/create?
Griselda: Maybe a book about all the animals in my life!
Before you go, does your muse have a message for the Unicorn?
Tia: Careful with that horn! Remember what happens to the elephants.
Ohhh, if anyone tries to steal my horn they will get a shock... it's protected by magical glitter!
More about Griselda.
Griselda Gifford is the author of 30 previous books for children. She is happy to visit schools, bookshops, historical societies etc. to talk about her writing generally and her new book THE CUCKOO'S DAUGHTER (see below). She can also offer Creative Writing workshops for adults or children. Please contact her by email: GriseldaGifford @ AOL.com.
When Louisa is called "the Cuckoo’s Daughter” by a fairground gypsy, she is surprised and angry. Now sixteen, she has lived all her life on a farm with her foster-parents and family but they refuse to tell her the names of her real parents. She longs to find out who they were. Discovering a hidden miniature portrait, she wonders if it is of her mother, but she still meets a wall of secrecy.
She falls in love with handsome Godfrey Macdonald but her foster-father refuses to allow them to marry and sends her to a horrible boarding-school.Will she be brave enough to escape the school and elope with Godfrey, leaving the only family she knows and the foster-sister she loves? And will she find out the truth about her real parents?
This romantic historical story is based on a true story set in 1799, and can be enjoyed by teens and adults. You can buy this book direct from the publisher Country Books.