We are delighted to welcome Sam Francisco King of the Disco author Sarah Tagholm to the Rocket Bird Books Blog for a special guest appearance:
Throughout my life music has been like a best friend to me. Born in the 70’s I am a child of disco. Thanks to my Dad I lived in a house filled with Elvis, Johnny Cash and Motown. As a teenager in the 90’s I donned white gloves and high-viz vests and danced in fields, cheese factories and kitchens. Later, I sang in a punk band (shouted) and went to festivals and northern soul weekends.
Another constant presence has been cats. When our son was small we were given two kittens – Envelope, an inquisitive ginger Tom, and Uranus (because we are ridiculous) his timid fluffy sister. Envelope was more human than cat, preferring cereal over cat food, sitting with our son as he played, even attempting to follow him to school. But as Envelope grew he became increasingly tired– so tired he’d sleep on spiky piles of lego.
So what was Envelope doing all night to make him so sleepy? It was a endless dinner table topic. Did he travel across Cornwall searching for a suitable bride? Or join pirates on swashbuckling adventures? Or was he in fact, a super-star DJ rallying up neighbourhood cats to join him at a rave – location to be disclosed hours before the event by pager.
So with dancing and music filling much of my heart and a charismatic cat to get the cogs whirring it’s no surprise that I woke up one morning in 2018 with the words to an opening spread . . .
Midnight struck, the whole town slept,
when out of the window something crept.
Covered in glitter from head to toe,
Singing softly, Me-ow, Me-ow,
It was…. (dramatic page turn)
Sam Francisco, off to the disco.
After we meet Sam’s crew, the third spread in the book turned out to be crucial. I didn’t know it at the time, but the lines I wrote for spread three were crucial as they set the pumping four-to-the-floor dance rhythm that would shape the rest of the book:
The beats were loud, the lights were bright,
the cats drank milk and danced all night.
Writing in rhyme is not a strong point for me [editor’s note: this is total rubbish, she’s brilliant]. I’ve got rhythm but I’m forever trying to sneak in extra beats then reading it quickly to get away with it. Sadly, that is against the rules.
But then my wonderful editor Tessa Strickland at the Golden Egg Academy (a picture book writing course), suggested I join a workshop with the brilliant Peter Bently (Octopus Shocktopus – need I say more?) and working in rhyme started to flow a little easier for me.
Aside from Envelope, Peter Bently and Tessa Strickland the person who really gave the emerging story its rollicking rhythm was my beloved and musically gifted agent James Catchpole. James encouraged me stick to the 4/4 rhythm throughout the story and it’s because of him we have reviews like this on NetGalley:
“It makes you want to get up and have a dance party with your friends.”
Thank you James!
I had sent out the story to lots of publishers in its early form but Libby Hamilton, of Rocket Bird Books, was the one to see potential in a my epic cat rave. Thank you Libby!
Libby had as much influence on the story as James, she suggested some huge changes to the structure which improved the story ten-fold. I also remember a very important and brilliant meeting where we talked about what the cats might be wearing!
Once the manuscript was tight, Libby suggested Binny Talib as the illustrator. When Binny sent through the roughs, my heart beat four-to-the-floor! She created a beautiful and super-stylish book – her ch
I am incredibly proud of Sam Francisco, and will be forever grateful to everyone who helped make it. I hope you enjoy reading it and if it inspires people to get up and dance then my work on earth is complete!
