Watch the event here: https://www.edbookfest.co.uk/the-festival/whats-on/become-an-accidental-detective-with-serena-patel Heroes come in all shapes and sizes but, as a child, Serena couldn’t identify with the heroes of books that she loved. Look at the cover of Anisha, Accidental Detective: Holiday Adventure! Consider the following: But will I be reading the next book? EHHHHHHHH, not sure. I mean, I am just so tired of the bully/nemesis trope and given that Anisha doesn’t just have ONE bully/nemesis, she’s got three, I am just not into that crap at this moment, or ever actually. It is a shame, as I would have loved to continue, but knowing this really put me off. I am just not looking forward to having a book with that.

Meeting readers at both virtual events and in person has been the absolute highlight although being shortlisted for the Blue Peter award comes a very close second! Going on to win awards like the Sainsburys Children’s Book Award has been an overwhelming and amazing bonus that I never expected.Make a list of FIVE everyday places and activities. For example, walking your dog at the park or riding your bike to visit a friend. For each one, note down how this could go disastrously wrong and turn into a hilarious adventure.

Planning is key. When writing a series for publication you can be releasing two books a year. I write my first drafts in a short number of weeks and so planning out my draft is essential before I start writing. The plot for mysteries has to be tight and fast paced. Planning helps massively with this.

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I’m often asked where I got the idea from for Anisha, Accidental Detective and the truth is that I was inspired by real life and my own family. When I was a child, I didn’t see characters like me in books. I didn’t see my culture reflected in stories and as a result I couldn’t see myself as the hero of a story. I think it’s so important that children have stories they see themselves in and also characters different to them.

Think over all that you have learned. Perhaps you have been inspired to find other characters and stories you identify with? Or you’ve thought about other ideas for a funny adventure story . . . Patel said: "When I was first writing Anisha there were very few South Asian authors, but we have made great movement. I had parents say their child is excited to see a character that looks like them in a book. In another colour, add your hilarious ideas to your timeline and remember there is no such thing as too silly!

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Take it in turns to run through your timeline with a partner without revealing the ending; can they investigate and solve the mystery? Create a timeline for your mystery including events building up to the crime, your hero’s investigation with the gathering of evidence, and how the mystery is solved with the guilty person(s) revealed! In that time, I have written five Anisha books as well as co-editing and contributing to an anthology of middle grade crime mysteries. I get messages from teachers who say children in their class love Anisha and are sometimes seeing a character who looks like them in a book for the first time. I especially love the messages where the children are trying to solve the mystery and suspect Granny Jas! My publishing highlights I’m not sure I’ve processed everything we have achieved with this series in such a short space of time. At some point when things slow down, I’ll probably sit down and think about it but for now I keep writing and hoping Anisha continues to find readers wherever she goes.

Conservative MP Lee Anderson previously spoke about working for a Labour MP earlier in his career around 2012, describing a case of a family claiming benefits with several children, adding: “they’ve got these children on ADHD, I don’t believe a lot of that, I think some of it’s just bad parenting”.

Serena’s books are mysteries that Anisha must investigate and solve in different settings – her most recent being a vandalised mascot at a holiday park! Overall, this is a nifty little mystery full of fantastic characters and rich in culture. It was absorbing and delightful to read and I can't believe I have to wait six months for a sequel!