Beginner’s Pluck

Che has always loved reading, and writing.

“I rarely watched TV as a child. I was raised, partially, in Ireland by my grandparents.”

Che wanted to be a vet, but, because she loved English, she become a journalist. She took a journalism diploma at 18, then the recession hit, so she went to university, where she wrote, “a dreadful vampire novel,” as well as a story that became the first chapter of The Feral Child.

Che then lived in Ireland, working as a news and IT journalist. Then, finishing The Feral Child for a competition to find the next JK Rowling, she reached the final 20. Encouraged, she set about editing the book and finding an agent and a publisher. She moved to Bath.

Who is Che Golden

Date/place of birth: July 21, 1973/London.

Education: Bishop Thomas Grant School in Streatham. St Francis Xavier in Clapham for sixth form. London College of Printing. Brunel. English literature with political geography.

Home: Bath.

Family: Husband and two girls India, 10, and Maya, 7.

The Day Job: Full-time writer.

Hobbies: “We own two ponies and two ferrets.”

Favourite Writers: Michelle Lovric; Eoin Colfer; Frances Hardinge; Neil Gaiman.

Second Novel: “The Feral Child is the first of a trilogy. I’ve written the second book, and am in the process of writing the third. I’ve also written a pony book for 6-9 year olds.”

Top Writing Tip: “Read a lot, write a lot, and keep off the internet.”

Web: www.lauracecil.co.uk (Agent.)

Twitter: @chegolden1.

THE DEBUT

The Feral Child. Quercus Publishing PLC: €9.50. Kindle: €6.72

Maddy is living with her grandparents in Blarney, and she’s fed up. When a little boy disappears she sets off to find him, taking her cousins, Roisin and Danny, with her. They journey to a land of breathtaking beauty but ancient evil. Can they have the courage needed to rescue the child?

The Verdict: An exciting adventure story, set in Ireland, combining contemporary life and fantasy. Written with lyricism.

— Interviewed by Sue Leonard