An Interview with Belle Deane

Belle is a children’s picture book author and teacher who loves creating warm, funny, picture books filled with heart. Inspired by her own shy beginnings, she writes stories that help children find their courage and celebrate who they are. Her tales often feature adorable animals and life lessons, discovering that even the smallest voices can make a difference. She lives with her husband, Jason, and believes that stories can spark confidence and change lives.

---

What inspired you to start writing this book?

I was actually on a writing bootcamp when I wrote this one and didn’t have a clue what I was going to write. One of the tasks was to read twenty picture books beforehand, so I picked a random selection from the library. I thoroughly enjoyed reading them, but none of them were about spiders or really like my story, yet the idea came into my head during the next couple of days.

Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

The title of my book is Simmy the Nine-legged Spider — Simmie’s Search for Friendship. It began as Sammy the Spider — unoriginal, but I tend to use alliteration in my writing for children. Then, I found out that there was already a series with this title. After some more research, I settled upon Simmie instead, then thought adding “the nine-legged” would let readers know more about how unusual the character is.

Describe your dream book cover.

My dream book cover has all of the main characters, quite early on in the story. It includes, as a nod to my north-east of England heritage, three footballing spiders wearing our local, rival, team colours.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

Supertramp’s Give a Little Bit — I used to listen to Supertramp a lot when I was younger, so this was the first to spring to mind. You’ve Got a Friend In Me by Randy Newman. I’ve not seen the film, but my brass band have played this one, so I know the song.

What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?

Picture books I’ve read on kindness include Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Jen Hill, and Kindness is Magic by Dubravka Kolanovic. I didn’t pick specific books but just ordered the books on kindness from my local library. For fun, I read just about anything, but mostly cosy crime. I’m currently reading Raymond Chandler’s Farewell, My Lovely, Sebastian Barry’s Old God’s Time, and Roger Bax’s Blueprint for Murder.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

Lots! I began by teaching horse riding when I left school, worked in a factory, and as a barmaid. After uni, I worked for the AA as a telephone operator, trainer, and in IT, then I became a teaching assistant, and now I teach primary children as well as writing.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I’ve always been a reader and a writer — silly stories and rhyming poems for friends, but didn’t think of taking it further until I enrolled in the BBC Maestro programme. Julia Donaldson’s picture book course was the trigger for me, and I wrote my first picture book story from this. She did advise probably not to rhyme but I couldn’t resist!

Where is your favorite place to write?

Mt favourite place to write is in the garden, in summer, with the parasol up. It’s so calm and relaxing, and frees my mind for writing. It has the added bonus of watching the birds, too!

What advice would you give your past self at the start of your writing journey?

Do it sooner and believe in yourself!

What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?

That we’re all different and, therefore, should be kind to everyone. Put yourself in others’ shoes and do onto others as you would have done to yourself.

---

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.