London


<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1.jpg" alt="Cressida Cowell children's author" class="wp-image-96951"/></figure>



<p>Best-selling author Cressida Cowell is a legend in the Muddy household having created a imaginary world that is wild, carefree, a bit risky and describes the emotional rollercoaster of child and parent relationships – it seemingly transcends age and gender. If you have been hiding under a rock, <em>How To Train Your Dragon</em> is brilliant 12-part series about a reluctant young Viking, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, trying his best to be brave as he struggles to become a hero. The books, published between 2003 and 2015, have sold more than 14 million copies and has been made into four films – the fourth is a live action version which comes out in June 2025.</p>



<p>Cowell has also written <em>Wizards of Once</em>, <em>Which Way to Anywhere</em> and Emily Brown picture-book series, plus stand-alones for younger readers. The woman is a writing machine who is motivated by the desire to encourage more children to read. The former Children&#8217;s Laureate and ambassador for the National Literacy Trust is on a mission to inspire kids, this extends to The Story Museum in Oxford, where she (and Toothless) guest-curated the Here Be Dragons immersive exhibition (read review <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/review-here-be-dragons-story-museum-oxford-oxfordshire/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>) – and Cressida will be making a special <a href="https://www.storymuseum.org.uk/whats-on/how-to-train-your-dragon-with-cressida-cowell" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">appearance at The Story Museum</a> during October half term (28 Oct) when she&#8217;ll be showcasing a brand new short story. </p>



<p>Muddy caught up with the literary legend to talk about her inspiration, tips on keeping kids reading when there are so many digital distractions and what she gets up to when she&#8217;s not writing bestsellers.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/4.jpg" alt="CRESSIDA COWELL BOOKS" class="wp-image-96954"/></figure>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-did-you-always-want-to-write-children-s-books-nbsp">Did you always want to write children’s books?&nbsp;</h4>



<p>If you told at the age of nine that I would be an author I&#8217;m not sure I would have believed you. Spelling and handwriting were not my strong point, but I was always making up stories and loved to read. I was doing my MA in Narrative Illustration, and decided to enter the Macmillan Children’s Book Prize. To my utter amazement I won and met my editor. My winning book, <em>Little Bo Peep Library</em> was published in 1998 and <em>How to Train Your Dragon</em> was my sixth or seventh five years later.&nbsp;</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-was-the-inspiration-for-how-to-train-your-dragon">What was the inspiration for <em>How To Train your Dragon</em>?</h4>



<p>I grew up in London without a garden. My dad was a mad keen birdwatcher and chairman of RSPB. Every summer we would be dropped off on Isle of Berk (yes, it is a real place) and spend the summer on this uninhabited island in north west Scotland. There&#8217;s nothing on it. Sea all around you. A local boatman would drop us off and we would camp in a tent. <strong>I</strong>t was very exciting to be allowed to play in complete wilderness. It was the Seventies, so health and safety wasn&#8217;t a big deal. It was incredibly beautiful, but could feel quite frightening. That sense of danger and perils in the books, it comes from those holidays. I used to imagine that there were dragons living in the caves in the cliffs. </p>



<p>The island was home to some of the earliest settlements in Britain.&nbsp;When I was about nine, my father had a house built on the island. It was lit by candlelight, and because there was no television, I spent a lot of time drawing and writing stories. Simon, my husband, and I continued to go back to the island with our three children when they were little. It’s not so much fun for teenagers as there’s no internet or pub for them to slope off to. But when they were little, it was heaven.&nbsp;</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-was-it-based-on-real-people">Was it based on real people?</h4>



<p>I identify with Hiccup a lot, because I think he is in a really difficult situation, trying to live up to a parent. Stoick the Vast is a version of my father, who I love very much but I wasn’t very like him. When I started writing the first book, I just had a baby. To be honest, it could be called <em>How to Train Your Parents</em> – a lot of things being explored in the story are true to my mind. </p>



<p><strong>Was there a person you credit for literary success?</strong></p>



<p>I had two teachers who were very encouraging. Miss Mellows gave me loads and loads of blank exercise books and she let me write stories in them, even in maths lessons. Miss Macdonald was my history teacher when I was 12, and she set wonderful homework, such as ‘Write a story about a child living in a village on the west coast of Scotland, who sees a Viking sail on the horizon’. Today, it&#8217;s my husband, Simon, who gives me a lot confidence.  </p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-alternative-career-would-you-have-if-writing-books-didn-t-work-out-nbsp">What alternative career would you have if writing books didn’t work out?&nbsp;</h4>



<p>I&#8217;d love to be an historian in viking research or perhaps an archaeologist.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-did-you-react-when-you-heard-how-to-train-your-dragon-was-going-to-be-made-into-a-movie">How did you react when you heard <em>How To Train Your Dragon</em> was going to be made into a movie?</h4>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/How-to-train-your-dragon-2-Dreamworks-Universal.jpg" alt="Hiccup and Toothless How to Train your Dragon 2 Dreamworks/ Universal" class="wp-image-96950"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image: How To Train Your Dragon 2, Dreamworks/ Universal</figcaption></figure>



<p>I didn’t really believe it was going to happen. DreamWorks bought the film rights, but that doesn&#8217;t necessarily mean anything will happen – vikings are not a low budget gig. It took five or six years before the film came out. I didn&#8217;t write the books for them to become movies, but it&#8217;s really exciting that they have. It was directed by Danny DeBlois (<em>Lilo &amp; Stitch</em>) and Chris Sanders (<em>The Croods</em>) and produced by Bonnie Arnold (<em>Toy Story</em>), they would send scripts and snippets – the project took on a life of its own.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-advice-do-you-have-to-keep-kids-reading-into-their-teens-when-there-are-many-distractions">What advice do you have to keep kids reading into their teens when there are many distractions?</h4>



<p>It’s tough, we’re competing against the best TV and other screen time for their attention. Kids need to find the joy in the reading. The Summer Reading Challenge is a great initiative to explore different types of books – and they love anything they can tick off.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The Story Museum in Oxford is also an amazing space to fire up kids&#8217; imagination. The Here Be Dragons exhibition is full of cool stuff, you can make up your own Dragonese and learn how to draw Toothless through an interactive video. The whole museum is really wonderful, immersive world. </p>



<p>It&#8217;s a bit trickier with teenagers. But try not to say, oh one child is a reader and the other isn’t.&nbsp;There&#8217;s plenty of time for everyone to discover (or rediscover) a passion for reading and books.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-your-writing-routine">What’s your writing routine? </h4>



<p>My first book contract and first baby happened at the same time, so I had to be quite disciplined. At the beginning I had limited childcare. The books had to happen in the two days a week childcare I have. There&#8217;s a lovely quote from Jack London: &#8216;You can&#8217;t wait&nbsp;for&nbsp;inspiration.&nbsp;You have&nbsp;to&nbsp;go after&nbsp;it with a&nbsp;club&#8217; – it&#8217;s so true. </p>



<p>I now have a writing shed, which I would describe as messy, but it&#8217;s a good space to go to that&#8217;s away from the house. There are big trees above it, so I feel cut off from the world and you instinctively turn in on yourself. The walls are covered in photographs and maps of the fantasy worlds I write about.</p>



<p><strong>Is there a book you wish you had written?</strong></p>



<p><em>The Ogre Downstairs</em> by Dianna Wyn Jones. It&#8217;s a special book. I read it aloud to my siblings, cousins and children. <em>Holes</em> by Louis Sachar, is also a beautiful.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-do-you-have-a-favourite-bookshop">Do you have a favourite bookshop?</h4>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/6.jpg" alt="Lutyens and Rubenstein book shop Notting Hill" class="wp-image-96956"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Lutyens &amp; Rubinstein Bookshop in Notting Hill</figcaption></figure>



<p>Oh no, I cannot possibly narrow it down to one. I love book shops. Mr Bs Emporium in Bath is great, Lutyens &amp; Rubinstein in Notting Hill is my local haunt, but I love Waterstones, Daunts, Blackwells. My top tip is to always ask for book recommendations when you visit. Book people are amazing, teachers as well, they read vast amounts for pleasure and keep the creativity alive. </p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-do-you-like-to-do-when-you-re-not-writing">What do you like to do when you’re not writing?</h4>



<p>I love walking, gardening, cooking – anything that allows me to make a mess. I also adore musicals, so I make regular trips to the theatre. The next production I want to see is <em>Operation Mincemeat</em> at the Fortune Theatre.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-you-re-out-for-the-night-in-london-where-would-you-go">When you’re out for the night in London, where would you go?</h4>



<p>My favourite place to go is The Anglesea Arms in Hammersmith, it&#8217;s a great gastropub. We love it there.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-are-you-working-on-right-now">What are you working on right now?</h4>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2.jpg" alt="Cressida Cowell at The Story museum Oxford" class="wp-image-96952"/></figure>



<p>I’ve just finished some short story collection that is coming out in September. The Story Museum dragons exhibition in Oxford, a new live action <em>How To Train Your Dragon</em> movie which comes out next year and I&#8217;m writing the last book in the <em>Which Way To Anywhere</em> series.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-the-most-showbiz-thing-to-happen-to-you-nbsp">What&#8217;s the most showbiz thing to happen to you?&nbsp;</h4>



<p>I&#8217;m not sure you can top walking the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival and receiving a standing ovation for the <em>How To Train Your Dragon</em> movie. That was a moment. Premieres are always fun but Cannes was special.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-you-re-married-to-simon-cowell-any-funny-stories-nbsp">You&#8217;re married to Simon Cowell, any funny stories&nbsp;</h3>



<p>To be honest, just disappointment. Any booking or reservation triggers expectations of THE Simon Cowell turning up. </p>



<p><strong><em>At least you&#8217;re guaranteed best seats in the house</em>!</strong></p>



<p><strong>Name the 5 books every child should read (apart from your own)?</strong></p>



<ul>
<li><em>The Lora</em>x by Dr Seuss</li>



<li><em>Holes</em> by Louis Sachar</li>



<li><em>The Ogre Downstairs</em> by Dianna Wyn Jones</li>



<li><em>The Lost Words</em> by Robert Macfarlane&nbsp;</li>



<li><em>Noughts &amp; Crosses</em> by Malorie Blackman</li>
</ul>



<p><em><a href="https://storymuseum.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"></a>Here Be Dragons at <a href="https://storymuseum.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Story Museum</a>, 42 Pembroke St, Oxford OX1 1BP. Tickets: £14 (ages 6-adult).</em></p>


Author Cressida Cowell talks dragons, books and her most showbiz moment

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