Interview with David Lawrence!
We’re overjoyed to welcome back superstar comedian, Indigenous Literacy Foundation Ambassador and award-winning author, David Lawrence (previous interview), to share his insights into his spectacularly magical middle grade ‘Pen‘ series and its third title; Finn and the Pen! No doubt you’ve already read Ruby’s and Xander’s adventures, navigating real-life conundrums with the dab and etch of the fantastical pen. Now it’s Finn’s turn in another oh-so-hilarious and sublimely clever tale where TERRIBLE foster parents certainly get their comeuppance through a splattering of revenge plots. But at the heart of it all is truth, love and loyalty. The combination of fantasy, humour and warmth truly makes this series a ginormous success. What a privilege to have worked on teaching notes for this text, because there is SO much goodness to unpack as well as just being a REALLY fun read.
Congratulations, and thanks for the honour, David! 🙂
About the Author
David Lawrence is an award‑winning children’s author whose Fox Swift series, co‑written with Cyril Rioli led to a life‑changing trip to the Tiwi Islands. With Shelley Ware he co‑facilitated the 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2022 ILF Create Initiative writing workshops, that produced the wonderful Japarrika trilogy and Tiwi Seasons with Marius. Through the ILF (Indigenous Literacy Foundation) he has seen first‑hand how reading opens doors.
David went from profit and loss statements to TV writing, before penning Anna Flowers with Australian Netballer Eloise Southby in 2007.
Since then, he’s written another twelve fun-filled children’s books, including The Stormy Protest that won the Environmental Award for Children’s Literature in 2019.
His latest series (including Ruby and the Pen, Xander and the Pen and most recently, Finn and the Pen) is about a magical pen that falls into the hands of kids who are struggling. They soon discover that whatever they draw … happens!
Visit David Lawrence at his Laughing Matters website: Laughing Matters, and on Facebook and Instagram.
The Pen series is available for purchase through EK Books.
Comprehensive teacher’s notes for Finn and the Pen can be found here.
Congratulations, David, on the recent release of your third book in the superlatively magical series for middle grade readers; Finn and the Pen! We’re so excited that this book is out in the world creating all kinds of sketchy chaos and catastrophes!
Following the success of the popular Ruby and the Pen and Xander and the Pen, can you briefly tell us about the series, and a little more about Finn?
Thanks very much Romi. The series is about a magical pen that always ends up in the hands of a kid who’s struggling with a specific challenge. Ruby is coming to terms with the loss of her father, and Xander is lacking the self-belief to stand up to the town bullies. Both discover that whatever they draw with the mysterious pen, happens! Suddenly all their problems are solved … or are they?
With Finn and the Pen, the stakes are even higher. Finn lives in a home run by cruel foster parents who lock him in the basement. Armed with the magic pen, he’s able to escape and start tracking down his real parents. But his quest becomes increasingly darker as he’s overcome by feelings of jealousy and a desire for revenge.
I love Finn. He’s extremely smart, loyal and kind. But, like all of us, he’s not perfect!
What was your favourite part of writing this series? Did you hit any snags or road bumps along the way?
This series is the first time I’ve introduced a fantasy element into my stories, and that added a new layer of enjoyment to the writing. Coming up with ideas about how the central characters could wield the pen made me smile. (Especially thinking of the ways they could embarrass the ‘not so nice’ characters!)
There were no real snags writing this series – what I tend to do if I get stuck is head out for a walk and hope that inspiration strikes. Often the solutions to a problem make the overall story stronger, so road bumps can be a blessing in disguise. (Sometimes a very good disguise!)
What was your writing process like for creating this series? Did you plan each book from the beginning? But most importantly, do you have a magical pen that wrote these all out for you in one swish of the wrist? (And can we borrow it, please?)
Ha! I began writing Ruby and the Pen at the start of Covid, so it would have been the perfect time to have a magic pen. Unfortunately, all I had was a cheap bic biro from Officeworks! (You can borrow that any time!)
Ruby was meant to be a stand-alone book, not a series. So I began with the simple question of what is the story going to be about. (A magic pen that helps struggling kids find their way.) Then I focussed on developing the central character – this was the most important step. As I created Ruby’s family history, skills, flaws etc. plot lines immediately started to emerge. I then wrote up a very general one page summary that included a start, middle, and end. That one page was then fleshed out with more specific details, sometimes even bits of dialogue, until it was about 30 pages long. Those pages were then split into 15 chapters, and then each two page chapter was turned into about 10 pages. Suddenly (well a few months later!) the first draft was finished. My older sister always does a first edit after I write each chapter, and then I run the first draft past a small group of children in the target age range of the book. These kids are brutally honest, which is invaluable although sometimes ego-crushing!
After I pitched Ruby, the Publisher asked if I could turn the book into a series. I said “Of course!”, then broke into a cold sweat thinking about how that would work. What sped up the process with Xander was setting the story in the place where I live (with a changed name). This made it so much easier to visualise what was taking place and also prompted ideas for the plot.
You’ve mentioned that your inspiration came from the expression, ‘The pen is mightier than the sword’, to which you’ve incorporated through the central theme of bullying. How did this idea come to you, and what is your main takeaway message from your books?
‘The pen is mightier than the sword’, is such a lofty, big picture ideal – it’s very hard for children to comprehend because they live in a micro world. If you’re a tiny kid holding a pen in the playground, facing off against the school bully who’s wielding a samurai sword, you’re not going to say, “Hey lucky me – I’ve got the biro!”
So my thought was, how can we even up this battle? Let’s make that pen magical!
Possessing a magical pen that solves all of your problems sounds pretty cool, but having so much power can lead to some unexpected consequences. Does the target of the bullying become the bully, and does the pen become the sword?
The main message of the book is that kids can do amazing things (and overcome huge obstacles) even if they don’t have a magic pen. And while taking shortcuts might get you to a destination quicker, it’s a lot less satisfying.
You’ve also weaved other important themes throughout the series, including consequences, environmentalism, disability awareness, selflessness, family relationships, teamwork and more. All valuable and serious topics. Yet, this series is supremely hilarious, playful, engaging and absolutely fantastical! How did you inject so much humour amongst the themes? (I’m guessing you’re just a naturally funny guy?!)
When I was a financial analyst, all the other financial analysts thought I was funny. When I was doing stand-up comedy, all the other stand ups asked me to do their tax returns! So I’m probably somewhere in the middle on the funniness scale. But I’ve always loved writing funny stories – even at primary school. If we had to put a word into a sentence, I would always try to make my sentence as entertaining as possible and hope the teacher would ask me to read it out to the class. One of my favourite all time jobs is writing for TV sketch comedy shows. You need to focus on developing funny, quirky characters and putting humour into everyday situations – and that’s what I try to do with my books.
Cherie Dignam is the illustrator throughout the series, with PJ Reece co-illustrating Finn and the Pen. They’ve both brilliantly captured the energy and art-themed nature of the stories with their whimsical and animated styles. What do you love most about their work?
Cherie and PJ are incredible! One of the joys of being an author is seeing what scenes within a chapter the illustrators choose to draw, and how they depict your characters. These two never disappoint! I love the level of detail in their drawings which highlights how much they are across the story. They both have wonderfully distinctive styles that add to the comedy, or the darkness of the situation when required. Every time I revisit their drawings, something new stands out that I hadn’t noticed before. The colourful book covers featuring illustrations of Ruby, Xander and Finn are striking, and beautifully set up the magical element of the series.
What else would you like to share about yourself, Ruby, Xander and/or Finn?
A close friend once said that reading my books was like having me in the room. I’m still not sure if she thought that was a good or a bad thing! A lot of my views about life are woven into Ruby, Xander and Finn – I’m sure the psychiatrists could have a field day!
I am passionate about children’s literacy, and very fortunate to be an Ambassador for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. Their motto is ‘Reading Opens Doors’, which really resonates with me. Over the past decade I’ve worked with some amazing students from remote communities, and nearly all of them will tell you… I am a terrible dancer!
You do such incredible work with the ILF! You’re amazing (and I’m sure your dancing skills aren’t that bad either!) Thanks so much for this laugh-out-loud adventure with you, David! 😊
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