I grew up near the mighty Mississippi, in Minnesota, the Land of 10,000 Lakes. My mother worked as a school librarian before I was born, so as a child I was surrounded by discarded library books (so well loved they were falling apart). I loved them too, and the promise that all good stories hold – to transport their readers out of their own lives to strange and wonderful new places. In 1993, I married and moved to London, a pretty strange and wonderful new place for me (although of course I had been there many times before, through my books). We lived in Hayes, Middlesex, but I worked in Twickenham and felt instantly at home next to the river. My husband also grew up locally, so in 2004 we finally moved to a cottage near the railway line, not far from Twickenham Green. It feels like we’ve come home.
In the meantime I worked as a children’s book editor in London. I always enjoyed talking to the authors and illustrators about their work and finding out where they found inspiration. This site explores the importance of place in the creative process of writers and artists, and includes books that have been inspired by this area or have some other connection to it.
I would like to thank, first and foremost, all the authors and illustrators who agreed to be interviewed for this website. Many of these busy people were kind enough to invite me into their homes, and their hospitality and enthusiasm is much appreciated. I would also like to thank the authors and illustrators who kindly granted me permission to reproduce their image on this site, as well as extracts or illustrations from their published work.
A special thank you to Ian Beck, who was the very first interviewee, and whose generous spirit set the tone for the whole project. Ian kindly gave me permission to reproduce the acorn and leaf illustrations from Emily & the Golden Acorn in the Telling Trails logo and navigation bar.
Thanks also to the publishers and other copyright holders who granted permission for material to be reproduced on this site. Specific acknowledgements are included where the material is used. Simply go to the appropriate listings page (you can use the name or title indexes to find these), and then click on the relevant text extract or illustration to see the copyright details.
The volunteer staff at the Twickenham Museum suggested several useful contacts. The museum’s website also features information about local writers. The library staff at branches throughout the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames were helpful in pointing me in the right direction for research. Many of the books featured on this site are, of course, available in your local library – check the online catalogue! In particular, I would like to thank Jane Baxter and her team in Richmond’s Local Studies Collection for retrieving huge and exciting files of information about relevant past authors and illustrators, and Joss Green of the Young People’s Library Service, Richmond Libraries, for suggesting a number of more recent and contemporary names.
The extremely knowledgeable booksellers at Langton’s Bookshop in Twickenham and The Lion & Unicorn Bookshop in Richmond also suggested children’s books and authors with local connections.
This project was initially developed for a module in web publishing, as part of an MA course in library and information studies at University College London. I would like to thank the course tutor, Dr Melissa Terras, for providing the impetus for this site.
Finally, heartfelt thanks to Ewan, for looking after everything (wife, house, cat) for most of the spring of 2005! Not to mention assisting with all photography, being a gopher and patiently bearing frequent outbursts directed at the world at large.
Comments or suggestions? email me
Copyright © Terri McCargar 2005
Please note that all text and images are subject to copyright and may not be reproduced without appropriate permission from the copyright holder. Click on any picture to view a larger image and copyright details.
Page last updated:
04-Nov-2005
http://www.tellingtrails.co.uk
