Winner of the '2020 State Library NSW Award for Emerging Children's Author', Victoria Mackinlay is a new and exciting picture book author who loves to play with language. We were lucky enough to have a virtual ‘sit down’ with her in the wake of her literary debut, the magical RIBBIT RABBIT ROBOT, which was published by Scholastic in April 2020.
Leaving the hallowed halls of Google, where she worked as Head of Strategic Partnerships for the company’s APAC branch for 9 years to pursue her love of children’s literature, Mackinlay is undoubtedly an interesting character herself and things are only going to get more interesting still…
2021 looks set to place the author and Mum of one, front and bookshelf centre too with two further Mackinlay titles in the works, one of which is in fact her official first contracted book due out in July. Delayed thanks to COVID, this soon to be released tale is the true story of Mackinlay’s grandfather who grew up with none other than a pet… LION! (More on that later) Meanwhile Ribbit Rabbit Robot has been shortlisted in the CBCA awards and longlisted in the ABDA awards, so exciting things ahead!
So without further ado, I am honoured to share what I learned about this up-and-coming ‘bookstar’ with all of you.
TLH: Victoria, thank you so much for chatting to us, we’d love to know a bit more about the woman behind the book cover…
VM: I’m a language lover who has visited 52 countries, sat on a volcano and watched it erupt and dived with great white sharks. I love coffee, squeaky sand and sunsets. I am a direct descendant of King George III (the one who went mad!). I worked at Google for 9 years and broke a Guinness World record for zorba dancing in Greece.
TLH: Woah, what!! A direct descendent of the mad King George!!! The one who was characterised on Netflix sensation Bridgerton (for those of you behind on your history) that is so cool! How did you uncover that little gem?
VM: I've actually always known it. My grandparents loved us telling stories, especially about our family history. Our family is descended from the illegitimate (scandal!) son of George III and Lady Sarah Lennox. The story goes that Sarah was the most beautiful lady at court and George was besotted with her but he was betrothed to an actual princess. He even insisted Lady Sarah was one of the bridesmaids at his wedding (this is where I like to imagine that George mistakenly said Sarah's name during the vows, like Ross and Rachel in Friends... haha). George and Sarah had a son John, whose surname was 'Mischance' (the name given to all illegitimate children at the time - think of John 'Snow' in Game of Thrones). John Mischance's children and grandchildren went on to drop the 'mis' and founded Clifford Chance, one of the ten largest law firms in the world. So George III is my great x 6 grandfather!
TLH: That is seriously the coolest thing ever!! You certainly have an interesting family… and I believe another member has inspired one of your upcoming stories?
VM: Yes, that’s right. Another story my grandparents frequently told was how my grandfather came to be gifted a lion cub by an Indian Maharajah and grew up with a pet lion! I've written the story into my next picture book THE LION WHO CAME TO STAY which has been illustrated by the multi-award-winning Ronojoy Ghosh and is coming out in July (available for pre-order now!).
TLH: Oh exciting!!
TLH: Changing tack slightly… what was your favourite subject in school/what were you best at?
VM: I loved English, languages and History. I was lucky to be able to study French, Latin, Spanish and Italian. I was an all-rounder at school - good at academics, sport and arts. I was always reading and studying - my parents had to force me to take breaks!
TLH: That’s pretty cool. Having an ear for languages is such a gift. So with all those academic strings to your bow, was writing always what you envisaged for your future?
VM: Yes. Though I also wanted to be a vet when I was little. I’ve always loved animals.
TLH: Makes a lot of sense! So, when did you start writing?
VM: I’ve been writing stories since I was 3.5 years old. My mum saved the little books that I wrote and illustrated. They are all about little birds and animals losing their mums!
TLH: I love that. Incorporating both your passions into one… on that note of animals in literature, may I ask how the idea for Ribbit Rabbit Robot manifested?
VM: I was playing in the bath with my daughter who was three at the time. She had a frog sponge which we made say: “Ribbit!” and: “Rub it!” for washing. We then added a ‘Rabbit’ to the game and it got funnier and sillier. That’s where the story started out - playing with words.
TLH: Oh I love that so much. I have similar experiences of creativity with my own children. How wonderful that your daughter was a part of that process in some way. Can you tell us a bit more about your personal planning and writing process?
VM: My process is usually: think of an idea, make notes, write a first draft, send it to my critique groups, edit, more critiquing and editing, make a dummy book (to check the page turns and pacing), edit, read it backwards, polish, submit. I also leave weeks, sometimes months, between stages to allow the text to rest (a bit like baking!). It’s a long and fun process.
TLH: So what are you doing when you’re not writing?
VM: I worked at Google for 9 years and now I freelance and consult for different companies and agencies. I try to keep at least one day a week free for creative writing.
TLH: What made you want to write children’s books rather than writing for adults?
VM: I think I’m greatly influenced by my daughter and tapping back into my own childhood. I love the freedom that children’s literature allows and the playfulness of it.
TLH: Children’s literature is a craft in and of itself, in some ways more difficult to get right than YA or adult fiction (I’m speaking from experience)… did you take any courses, read certain books, have a mentor etc in order to help you along the way?
VM: Yes, I’ve taken lots of courses. Firstly through the Australian Writers Centre and then many workshops and masterclasses through SCBWI, Sydney Writers Festival and Jen Storer’s courses. I’m also in two critique groups which I think are essential.
TLH: What advice would you give to young aspiring writers/authors?
VM: Read widely (and not just books - read cereal packets and street signs) and consider the choices that the writer has made. Wonder why they chose a specific word?
Also, look at the world around you. Notice nature. Really notice it. Look at the different colours and patterns on leaves. Watch how a spider builds a web and catches a fly. Listen to how people speak and what they say. The world is a very funny and wonderful place. Carry a notebook to write down the snippets you observe and see where they take you.
You can find out more about Victoria over at: https://www.victoriamackinlay.com/ or keep up with her adventures on facebook instagram or twitter