Martin Stewart introduces his eco-adventure series, Sandy Fin: Operation Splash Landing

About Author

Kick off your summer reading with this riotously funny, action-packed eco-adventure, Sandy Fin: Operation Splash Landing by Martin Stewart!

Martin Stewart made his first book using 'Post-It' notes aged eight and is now the author of children's books, YA and crime fiction and has been shortlisted for awards including The Bookseller's YA Book Prize and the Branford Boase Award.

A former secondary school teacher from Glasgow, Martin now lives in a seaside town on the west coast of Scotland with his wife, children, and a very big dog. He enjoys cooking, running on the beach, re-watching his favourite films, and buying - and reading - books.

Interview

June 2025

Martin Stewart introduces his new eco-adventure series, Sandy Fin: Operation Splash Landing (Zephyr)

Look out for a golden lobster, villains and two intrepid young adventurers - together with loads of fun facts about our oceans - in Martin Stewart's brilliant new series, Sandy Fin. Watch Martin introduce his first Sandy Fin adventure - Operation Splash Landing - and find out how his childhood holidays helped inspire the story, in our indepth Q&A with the author.

Martin also gives ideas for creating your own seaside setting, writing great villains and what else he has planned for the series, as well as what to expect if he visits your school.

Read a Chapter from Sandy Fin: Operation Splash Landing

Review: "Fast-paced, fun, warm and inventive, Sandy Fin: Operation Splash Landing is an action-packed summer read."

Q&A with Martin Stewart

"My books are always funny, and that's extremely important to me, too. Life is funny, books are fun,
so I put lots of jokes and funny situations in amongst the peril and excitement."

1. Can you tell us a little about yourself and your life as a writer?

Hello, readers! My name is Martin Stewart. I live on the west coast of Scotland, in a small town called Troon (but I grew up in Glasgow) with my wife, my two children, and a great big dog. Being near the beach and the seaside is very important to me, and I run and swim outside whenever I can.

I have been a writer for over ten years. Prior to that I had loads of different jobs: university lecturer, bouncer, barman, golf caddie, wine advisor… and English teacher. In fact, I'll soon be returning to teaching in my old school a few days a week, which I'm extremely excited about! My writing life is a mixture of very different days: most of the time, I'm on my own in the house, writing on my laptop, trying to get as many words down as possible; but occasionally, I get to go out and do exciting things like visit schools and book festivals, which I absolutely love!

2. What kinds of books do you enjoy writing? If you could find yourself in one of your books, which one would you choose?

I love writing books with mysterious adventures - something the main character, and the reader, can't wait to find out. My books are always funny, and that's extremely important to me, too. Life is funny, books are fun, so I put lots of jokes and funny situations in amongst the peril and excitement.

I love this question: I'd probably say my new one, Sandy Fin: Operation Splash Landing. Like me, Sandy lives by the sea, and that's such a big part of my life, and where I find happiness. Sandy's village, Portwhistle, would be an amazing place to live, with wonderful shops and Cap'n Cone's Surf'n'Swirl, the world's greatest ice cream emporium, so I'd like to live there with him and Lily!

3. Can you tell us a bit more about your new adventure, Sandy Fin Operation Splash Landing, and what do you have planned for the series?

In Operation Splash Landing, Sandy discovers that his beloved Museum of Seaside Stories, in whose attic he lives with his mum, is about to be sold to a group of conservationists called Splash Landing Enterprises. Sensing something sinister about Splash Landing's slippery leader, Albo Start, Sandy and Lily set out to save the museum by solving the murder of Miss Floss the Very Cross Albatross, rescuing Frumpus the Grumpus Walrus, and finding the long-lost Golden Lobster of Portwhistle, the return of which is prophesised to bring posterity back to the village.

There's jumping, swimming, eels, speedboats, and a face off with Sandy's nemesis, Tye Straker. We find out whether Sandy and Lily can stop Start in time, and save Sandy's home! The series is going to be a lot of fun. I've already written book two - Sandy Fin and the Mystery of the Phantom Diver - which adds an element of spooky fun, and the rests of the adventures will see Sandy and Lily setting off on a thrilling quest, and solving a gothic, Sherlockian puzzle. Expect lots of swimming, plenty of seaside animal rescue, and lots of love and laughs between the characters!

4. What gave you the idea for a boy who has scales and loves ocean life?

My childhood holidays. During the Second World War, my grandmother was evacuated to the Isle of Arran in the Clyde estuary - right off the coast from where I live now. We went there every summer, and my brother and I spent the whole time outside, climbing over the rocks, hunting for crabs and creatures. I've chosen to live by the sea with my own family, and like nothing more than eating breakfast on the beach with my children, then going for a clamber on the rocks!

I was also inspired by some of my favourite books, particularly Tove Jansson's The Summer Book, and (my all-time favourite) John Steinbeck's Cannery Row. These bring the coastal setting to life so vividly - the smells, the sounds, the strange objects and drifting, salty piles of seaweed, and I had always wanted to being that to life in a fun adventure for children.

5. Since you live by the sea, was your own town the inspiration for Portwhistle Bay where Sandy Fin's adventure is set? How did you develop the setting - and why did you decide on a golden lobster as its lucky charm?

The Golden Lobster was originally a golden monkey! I loved the idea of harking back to ship's monkeys who were commonplace, quite piratical, mascots on long voyages. But something about it felt a bit off - it didn't totally fit in Sandy's world, so my editor and I had a conversation about how best to capture the feeling of the town, and the lobster felt just right. It's silly in just the right, fun way, and so totally seasidey!

And yes, Troon - along with Brodick and Lamlash on Arran - was definitely an inspiration. Ice cream is a big thing here, we've got a great ice cream shop, and another in the next town along the coast, so Cap'n Cone's was one of the first things I put in the village. I took picture of the harbour and the seaside here to build an image library of what I wanted Portwhistle to look like, and that feeling of connecting to where you live, and engaging with your local community, is totally central to Sandy's character.

6. Can you tell us a little more about your characters, Sandy and Lily, and why they work so well together?

Sandy is impetuous and brave, ready to dive in first and ask questions later. He's got a great mind, but lives in a very physical world. He has silvery scales on his elbows and knees with which he can feel the movements of the sea - but he doesn't know where these come from, or why he has them… Lily is more of a thinker, slightly more timid than Sandy, not because she's a scaredy cat, but because she thinks before jumping, and is more sensible than he is! She's great at making connections and spotting things Sandy misses while he's throwing himself into new situations.

They make a great team because they balance each other out, they challenge each other - and they make each other feel confident and happy. They love animals, they love Portwhistle, and they love each other, like brother and sister.

7. There are some great villains in the story too - who is your favourite? What makes a great villain for you?

I like Rear Admiral Straker, because he's inspired by Quint, the ship's captain in my favourite film, Jaws! I love writing villains - a good villain should be slightly over the top, and take themselves so seriously that they become even more ridiculous, which punctures the balloon of their evil pomposity!

8. There are some very funny moments in Operation Splash Landing. What kind of things make you laugh? There's also lots of fishy - and funny - wordplay in your book. What are your favourite examples?

I like Sandy's phrases: 'easy peasy lobster squeezy', and 'salt and sauce!' (which is what you get offered on your chips in Edinburgh, rather than salt and vinegar!) I love wordplay - my other series, Bridget Vanderpuff, was full of cake puns, which I loved, and Sandy is set in the same world as Bridget (Captain Lufty and Barry the HatRat appear for the first time in Bridget Vanderpuff and the Ghost Train!)

I find all kind of things funny. Cheeky children make me laugh, and Sandy has several cheeky moments; good old slapstick like people falling over; and ridiculous situations that somehow make sense in the story, like Sandy accidentally dancing with Frumpus the Grumpus Walrus.

9. Do you also enjoy helping your readers learn about ocean life in these stories; there are some fabulous octopus facts, for example! Where do you go to research all your fishy facts?

This was something I thought could really add to the story - it's so fun finding out new things, but it had to be an organic part of the story - this is why Sandy is such an inveterate fact lover, blurting them out and getting distracted from his mission by how love of the sea. I get my facts from interesting books and websites, and love doing the research!

10. There are some more serious themes here too, and Sandy and Lily are passionate about saving local wildlife and environment. Other than a roller-coaster of an adventure, what would you like your readers to take from their adventures?

That it's important to love our world, to spend time outside engaging with it, and that people are everything - the love between my characters reflects the love we have for the people in our lives, and there is nothing more important than that.

Creative Challenge: Can you suggest how children can be encouraged to create their own seaside setting to inspire some creative writing?

Yes! Visit the seaside, take pictures, sketch and draw, look at things you find there - really look - and touch everything that's safe to touch! Feel the textures, smell the smells, close your eyes and feel the breeze on your skin. If you can capture those feelings, and put them in your stories, your characters' adventures will feel even more real and magical.

School visits: Do you offer school events? If so, what can schools expect from a visit / online event, and how can they get in touch with you to arrange an event?

I do, and I love visiting schools to speak to young readers. I talk about my path to becoming a writer (very unusual, includes X-rays), all the amazing experiences I've had with my books and stories, and how the imagination really works. I can also run a creative writing workshop for smaller groups for up to 30 pupils. My website (www.martinstewartbooks.com) has a 'contact me' page - I'd love to hear from you.

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