Jon’s Comments (group member since Sep 08, 2012)

Jon’s comments from the Ask Jon Blake group.

I don't tend to think much about names - they usually just occur to me. However, I chose Chen on the assumption that Chineses multinationals will be major players in the near future - and Viafara was the name of a journeyman midfielder who played for my home team of Southampton FC a while back.
Good qeustion about the ending, and how I knew it was finished. I had intended the conclusion to go further, but as I conceived Kris's message to Jade, I suddenly thought no, that's it, that's where it should end - it brought their relationship to the forefront and hopefully was a bit of a surprise to the reader and left the story on an emotional high. It made me feel emotional anyway!

I have written a few books since TLFC, but all for juniors, and not all published! With a two-year-old and six year-old I'm struggling to get much done at the moment, but it is my plan to write another YA novel. I've come up with quite a few ideas, but I have to really feel something for a story before I commit. A sequel to TLFC may appeal to publishers but I can't see what I would add to the original, and I do not write merely to make money! In the meantime I do have a substantial back catalogue, including a YA e-book, Snails and Lovers, written back in the 80s. Before TLFC I would have said that was my most important book.

Hi Susanna
First off I'm sure it's a disadvantage writing in many genres as the most successful children's writers tend to be known for one type of book - however that's just not me. I have a light and a serious side and I just have to go with whichever is in the ascendancy. As for where the inspiration comes from - sometimes I just wake up with an idea, or a whole section of dialogue which really does seem to write itself. But I do also deliberately get into the right frame of mind to create, often by travelling: much of The Last Free Cat was conceived on the road (or rail). Music plays an important role: I choose a suitable soundtrack for the scene I want to write then imagine it through while listening to it. But I'd also say that TLFC was inspired by experiences I've had as an activist and the need to convey these through fiction. Then there is the need to recreate those (like my cat) I have lost. You've asked a big question, and to fully answer it I'd also have to list books I've read, films I've seen, etc etc etc. When it comes down to it, however, I was just a creative child, like my own 5-y-o is at the moment, constantly making things up.
Finally, feedback from people like yourself is always a great motivator. And as I have never become as successful as editors and reviewers expected, I still have the hunger to prove myself, even after 56 books!