How to Write a Space Adventure with Karen Tyrrell

Regulars to my blog may well remember previous visits from Karen.  What you might not know is that recently Karen Tyrrell recently won a major mental health achievement award.  However, this space Adventure, Jo Kin Battles the It, is a slight departure from Karen’s previous books. For those who haven’t come across her books before though, Karen Tyrrell is an award-winning Brisbane based, ‘resilience ‘author, who publishes on this theme for both children and adults.   Her earlier books, like Stop the Bully,  have dealt with themes like bullying and mental health.

I took the chance to find out what motivated Karen to write a space adventure.

1. JUNE: This is a departure from your usual ‘present day and time’ themes, what attracted you to write a space adventure?

KAREN: I’m an avid sci-fi fan and created a hilarious space adventure as a comedic escape when writing my recovery memoir, Me and Her: A Memoir of Madness. When Jo-Kin zoomed across the galaxy battling gruesome monsters and killer robots, he could save the Super Space Kids and be the hero in his own life.

2. JUNE: What do you think setting a story in space rather than in every day circumstances has done to the way you treat the resilience theme?

KAREN: Powerful resilience messages transcend time, space and genre. Children learn to live strong and be the heroes in their own lives. Humour is a powerful coping  tool which kids can use to empower themselves. The FUN fast paced story will enthrall children and the positive messages will open discussion in the classroom and within the family.

3. JUNE: How long have you been working on this story and why couldn’t you stop writing it?

KAREN: This is the story that wouldn’t give up. Over five years ago, I started writing Josh and the It, (original title) receiving high scores at the CYA Conference competition. A major international publisher considered Josh for publication for 14 months. When that didn’t happen, I pursued publishing my recovery memoir from mental illness under my own imprint, Digital Future Press … and the next five resilience books.
Last year I joined Write Links children’s critique group. I submitted Josh and the It with the aim to make it funnier, more intriguing and a real page turner. The new version Jo-kin Battles the It (Super Space Kids #1) was born.

4. JUNE: What was the most challenging thing about completing this book?

KAREN:To create a hilarious space adventure that would have mass appeal to children, parents and teachers. To do this I needed a fast paced story with everything kids would love– incredible gadgets, killer robots, delicious food scenes, quirky humour … and of course super space heroes.

5. JUNE How is Jo-Kin Battles the It different to other kid’s sci-fi?

KAREN: Not only does JO-KIN delivers a fun fast paced hilarious space adventure that’s science curriculum based but it empowers kids to live strong. How?
A. JO-KIN is jam-packed with humour, resilience skills, team work and brainpower skills.
B. Jo-Kin Battles the It invites the reader to problem solve the challenges using science and curiosity.
C. Positive messages show kids how to preserver and NEVER give up.

Jo-Kin Battles the It Book Giveaway

Win a signed copy of Jo-Kin Battles the It OR one of four eBooks of Jo-Kin Battles the It OR signed artwork from the illustrator, Trevor Salter.

For a chance to WIN like Karen’s Super Space Kids book series page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SuperSpaceKids and leave a comment on any  Blog stops 19-30 Oct.  See this earlier post for full list of locations  BLOG STOPS

The next two stops coming up are

29 Oct Sally Odgers http://promotemeplease.blogspot.com.au Interview

30 Oct Kate Foster http://www.katejfoster.com/blog Interview

Winners announced in November.

You can purchase the book HERE