This week we're sitting down with Julie Pike, the author of the fantastical, magical, exciting (and slightly gruesome-but-great!) MG novel The Last Spell Breather (OUP, 2019). We talk stories, spaces, the landscape of Wales, the far-flung destinations that Julie has ventured to, how she once possibly helped to save a life (!), the impact of social class on authors' self-perceptions, and how important it is to show children that there are no limits to what they can achieve. Please join us as we get to know Julie and her book, and discover how Storyshaped she is.

Books mentioned in this week's episode include Julie's own:

The Last Spell Breather (OUP, 2019)

And the stories that shaped her include:

Chris Addison's blog 'Two Ways into a Theatre'

Brandon Sanderson's blogs on how to write magic systems:

Sanderson's First Law

Sanderson's Second Law

Sanderson's Third Law

An episode of Dr Who (with Tom Baker as the Doctor) which featured fish monsters:

Dr Who: Full Circle

The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton

Lirael by Garth Nix

Sabriel by Garth Nix

Abhorsen by Garth Nix

The books of Barbara Cartland, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Georgette Heyer

A Most Improper Magick by Stephanie Burgis

A Tangle of Magicks by Stephanie Burgis

A Reckless Magick by Stephanie Burgis

Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne

The Cadfael Chronicles (series) by Ellis Peters

Star Trek

Mixed Magics by Diana Wynne Jones

Mysteries of the Unknown: Monsters, Ghosts and UFOs by Carey Miller, Christopher Maynard, Ted Wilding-White

Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie

In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

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