The Raven Mysteries are full of humour and mad-cap action, which is quite different from your novels for older readers. Was this a conscious decision of yours when setting out to write this series? What age did you first start writing and when did you think that one day you'd write a novel that would actually be published? But Eels Island, whose raggle-taggle inhabitants are dominated by the strange boy Dooby, is full of danger too.The belief that she will one day find her parents spurs Zoe on to a dramatic escape in a story of courage and determination that leads to an unexpected and touching conclusion. saw Marcus turn his attention to books for younger readers with the launch of a humorous new series: The Raven Mysteries, narrated by a grumpy raven, Edgar. Yes, I always loved myths and legends - I used to read and re-read two books from the library - one a big illustrated edition of Greek Myths and the other Old Peter's Russian Tales. I don't know why I was fascinated by these stories, but maybe simply because I find them to be more glamorous than contemporary stories...

Recommended for ages 10 to 13, this book falls into the category of "Surviving Environmental Catastrophes." Set in the near future, global warming has caused the Earth's sea levels to rise and flood the coastal nations around the world. Zoe's family is last to leave their flooded town in England, and she is sadly separated from her parents as they get on the last boats. She is fortunate to uncover a small rowboat submerged in the mud, and fixes it up so she can escape her town and find her parents. Zoe faces many challenges on her journey, particularly when stopping at a small "island" of an old cathedral that is overrun with wild children competing for space and resources. Floodland has a powerful and emotive theme, handled with warmth and humanity. About This Edition ISBN: In his spare time, was also a stone carver and wood engraver and illustrated all his novels. Marcus was also an enthusiastic drummer. The historical context of most of your novels must mean a huge amount of research prior to writing each book. What does this involve and how long does it take? The pacing was fast, choppy even at times and the narrative quite disjointed. the ending came with a large dose of skepticism on my part as it was unbelievable and unsatisfactory.It varies from book to book but it's not a chore as I love to do research. It's easier than actually writing the things! For Revolver, the research spanned about 16 months, of little trips here and there and lots and lots of reading! Imagine that a few years from now England is covered by water, and Norwich is an island.Zoe, left behind in the confusion when her parents escaped, survives there as best she can. Alone and desperate among marauding gangs, she manages to dig a derelict boat out of the mud and gets away to Eels Island. Marcus began to write seriously in 1994. His first book, Floodland, was published by Orion in 2000, and won the Branford-Boase award for best debut children's novel. Witch Hill followed in 2001, and was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe Award. I started to write as a teenager a bit, but properly when I was in my mid-twenties. It took a few years to think it might actually happen!

The idea behind this post apocalyptic world was fascinating and it wasn't too preachy seeing as it is a possible eventuality of global warming. I love music, both listening to it and playing it (I'm a drummer). A day without music is not a proper day... I also love travel and try to travel as much as I can manage. The most important thing is to know your market! Who do you think your book is going to be read by? What else is out there that's like it? Are you writing something that will sell? Zoe, left behind in the confusion, survives there as best she can. Alone and desperate among marauding gangs, she manages to dig a derelict boat out of the mud and escape to Eels Island. But Eels Island, whose raggle-taggle inhabitants are dominated by the strange boy Dooby, is full of dangers too.

I write at the weekends, and mostly in the study in my loft, but also sometimes I travel to write - eg much of Revolver was written on trips to Sweden. Zoe as a character was fleshed out enough to get a sense of her goals and motivations but I didn't really identify with her. Other characters were also fleshed out and I found some of the side characters interesting. Marcus has been shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal five times, the Edgar Allan Poe Award (twice) and the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize (four times). He is also the most noted author in the history of the Printz Award, with one win and two honour books,for Revolver, The Ghosts of Heaven and Midwinter Blood.