I recently had the pleasure of catching up with Claire Bramwell-Pearson, author of the new children’s book Vitalii Petrenko and the Secret of the Roman Baths. I hope you enjoy our chat!

Real Chris Sparkle: Greetings Claire! And welcome to the pages of the Real Chris Sparkle, it’s great to have you here! Perhaps we should start off with your telling us a little bit about Vitalii Petrenko and the Secret of the Roman Baths? Don’t spoil the story!

Claire Bramwell-Pearson: I always hate trying to summarise a story without giving away the plot! Vitalii Petrenko and the Secret of the Roman Baths is a Middle Grade action-packed adventure story about a special friendship across cultures. This of course is the unlikely friendship between Ukrainian born star footballer Vitalii Petrenko (10) and local Bath boy and bookworm Edward Austen, also ten. There also may be some scaly magic involved too!

RCS: I’ve read the book and it’s a delight! What gave you the idea in the first place?

CBP: I was approached by a Ukrainian charity, The Friends of Oleksandryia, to write a children’s story about a child refugee who had come to live in Bath.  The founder Zhenya Shkil sent me lots of pictures of Oleksandryia which is an agricultural region in Ukraine and in one of them she was standing with a volunteer in front of a huge statue of a three headed dragon. As soon as I saw the photo I thought haha – I think that we have something here!

RCS: It’s full of entertaining characters – are they all products of your imagination, or have you sneakily based any of them on real people?!

CBP: What a great question! But no, none of the characters is based on real people – they are all products of my very cartoony imagination. However – I have ‘borrowed’ some the names from people I actually know…I hope that they don’t mind too much!

RCS: You live in Bath, so I can understand why you have set the story there, but where does the Ukraine connection come from?

CBP: Bath is actually twinned with Oleksandriya and Zhenya Shkil comes from that part of Ukraine. However, she now lives near Bath where there is a very vibrant Ukrainian community.

RCS: That makes sense then! No spoilers, but the story does feature a three-headed Ukrainian dragon, so did you have to do a lot of research to discover more about Ukrainian myths and legends?

CBP: Yes, I did research Zmiy Horynych who is a well-known three headed dragon in Ukrainian folklore and everyone – in particular children – in Ukraine will know him well. However, in the fairy tales he is famous for kidnapping princesses and other dastardly needs. My Zmiy Horynych is a very different dragon indeed!

RCS: And did you have to do a field trip to Loch Ness?

CBP: I have visited Loch Ness many times.  And my parents also lived in Scotland near another famous loch, Loch Leven, where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned. But I don’t think that loch had a sea monster!

RCS: I know that in the past you have been an illustrator, but the artwork in the book has been created by Alexandra Dikaia. Do her illustrations bring an extra dimension to the book?

CBP: Yes absolutely! Alexandra’s illustrations are beautiful and very imaginative – and really add another wonderful perspective to the story. There is even a map in the front of the book of Zmiy Horynych’s journey from Ukraine. The illustrations also help the children in Ukraine who are obviously reading Vitalii Petrenko in a second language.

RCS: The book has already been distributed to some schools in Ukraine – what has the reaction been?

CBP: Oh, they simply loved the book! In Oleksandryia, at one of Zhenya’s school visits the children even dressed up as Vitalii Petrenko, Edward Austen and the three headed dragon Zmiy Horynych. I was so touched. And on one of our school visits promoting the book in the U.K. we had a live stream between a school in Bath and a school in Oleksandryia, which was an amazing and moving experience.

RCS: What next for Vitalii and Edward? Will they have some new adventures together?

CBP: Yes! I have already finished the first draft of the next Vitalii Petrenko book which is just as exciting. Without giving anything away, there is a magic snow globe which contains not just one secret – but two! The story has all the same charming characters and a few new ones too! And yes, of course, Edward Austen is there – as Vitalii’s valiant Dr Watson.

RCS: That’s fantastic news. The book sounds like a perfect children’s Christmas gift – who do you think would most appreciate the story and the characters?

CBP: Yes, Vitalii Petrenko and the Secret of the Roman Baths would make the perfect Christmas gift – either as a bedtime story (the parents will giggle at some of my nods to Jane Austen who lived in Bath) or for independent readers, and of course Ukrainian children will love the references to their culture’s fairytales.

RCS: Is there anything more we should know about your book?

CBP: I am absolutely delighted by the reception Vitalii Petrenko and the Secret of the Roman Baths has received by children of all ages and their parents. I have deliberately written the adventure story in a style which is easy to read by a wide range of children, both boys and girls, as Vitalii’s little sister also plays a pivotal part in the story. It’s immensely enjoyable for the parents to read too!

RCS: Thanks for taking the time to chat today, Claire, and best wishes for the book! Send our love to Vitalii and Edward!

 

You can buy the book on Amazon at this link!