A magical tale for nature lovers and fans of adventure, from award-winning author-illustrator Tim Tilley.

While our focus is on the narrator’s hopes and fears, behind them all is a tale of despoilation, exploitation and cruelty fully relevant in our contemporary world which will resonate even with the most innocent young reader. You teach children's books illustration; what does this involve, and why did you want to also write children's books? Growing up, I've always loved nature, especially woods and forests. There was a small spinney, not far from home, that I loved exploring. I also loved Bradgate Park, a medieval deer park, which has ancient oaks. My brother and I used to climb inside a huge hollow oak, pretending it was a wooden castle. We played Robin Hood and other forest stories. Bestselling author Alexandra Christo, author of TikTok sensation To Kill a Kingdom, introduces her new book, The Night Hunt (Hot Key Books), a dark... Did you also research the impact of industrialisation on the country at that time? For example, the destruction of woodland for timber?

In this video, Tim Tilley explains how his love of nature helped to inspire Harklights and how his visits to local woods provided fresh ideas for his story. Plot, world-building and detailed drawings’: The False Rose by Jakob Wegelius. Illustration: Jakob Wegelius Woods, libraries and bookshops. They are places to unwind, shelter from the rain, and explore hidden worlds. How close to nature do you feel your everyday life is? What can each of us do to become better 'nature keepers'?

Do you plan to return to Harklights to follow the characters' journeys? What are you writing currently? A match factory which masquerades as an orphanage. A manikin which it emerges was once alive. A monster which in reality mayn’t be alive. Butterflies which aren’t insects. A boy who doubts he has what it takes to put things right. It’s all here in Harklights, a debut novel from the first ever winner of the Joan Aiken Future Classics Prize, set in a vaguely Victorian world with elements of fantasy and steampunk. How will he get over the high wall surrounding the orphanage? And how will he convince the tiny folk he is not a destructive human? I've always dreamed about writing and illustrating my own books. The illustrations are created using different materials - pencil, charcoal and screen-printed textures. I then scan these into Photoshop and build them up in layers. Coffee house Caffè Nero has announced the 16-strong shortlist for the inaugural Nero Book Awards, recognising the outstanding books of the past 12...

Interview

Winner of the Joan Aiken Future Classics Prize, Harklights is a magical story celebrating family, friendship and the natural world, filled with a message of hope for our times.