Ross Welford introduces his laugh-out-loud Prince Kal series
About Author
A short and unlikely hero, Prince Kal accidentally finds himself on Earth, with unintended results . . . Author Ross Welford shares the highlights from Prince Kal and the Salivator Alligator.
Ross Welford was a journalist and television producer before becoming a full-time writer. His novels have received wide acclaim and been shortlisted for many prestigious awards, including The Costa Book Award, The Waterstones Children's Books Prize, The Blue Peter Book Award and The Branford Boase Book Award. He lives in London with his wife, children, a border collie, and several tropical fish.
Interview
May 2026
Ross Welford introduces his laugh-out-loud series; the diaries of Prince Kal
Look out for interdimensional travel, a pixie girl scout and a rather hungry alligator in Prince Kal's new adventure, Prince Kal vs the Salivator Alligator, in which the young prince makes an unhappy return to Earth on the trail of his sister, and a predatory reptile....
ReadingZone spoke with bestselling author Ross Welford to find out more about his Prince Kal adventures, what inspired these diary-style stories, and three things you won't know about him!
Find out more! The Unlikely Diary of Prince Kal the Alien Prince Kal vs the Salivator Alligator
Q&A with Ross Welford
"Interdimensional or time travel gives an opportunity to see our familiar world through the eyes of someone else."
1. Hello Ross, thank you for joining us on ReadingZone to talk about your Prince Kal books! Can you start by telling us three things about yourself that readers might not know?
1. I used to perform as a magician called “Welly Wizard” and I am a member of the Magic Circle.
2. If I ever went on Mastermind, my specialist subject would be 'TV Theme Music of the 1970s and 1980s'
3. I can sing the Venezuelan national anthem, which I learnt once just so I could fill in questionnaires like this!
2. You have a long and distinguished list of books to your name now - any favourites, or any books that stand out for you for particular reasons?
Ah, you know that's like asking a parent which their favourite child? Still, I have a particular affection for Time Travelling With A Hamster, which was my very first book. Without that, I would not be here talking about my eleventh!
3. What happens in your new book, Prince Kal vs the Salivator Alligator, and your earlier book, The Unlikely Diary of Prince Kal the Alien?
Prince Kalimonka Evergreen Wildgore - to give him his full title - is a young royal from a planet where magic is real. But when the magic 'Anywhere Cabinet' goes wrong, he ends up on a beach in Northumberland. Of course, no one believes his story! Would you?
In book one, The Unlikely Diary of Prince Kal the Alien, Prince Kal has to get back to his home planet - unfortunately, he leaves behind the deadly Salivator Alligator. This brings us to book two, Prince Kal vs the Salivator Alligator, in which Kal returns to save the people of Bamburgh.
4. Can you tell us about your northern setting for these adventures, and why you use the local dialect in these storeis?
All of my books are set in England's northeast, where I grew up. Of course, for reasons of comprehension, I only use a very little Geordie dialect, just to give a flavour of how people speak. I think it's fun and authentic.
Prince Kal shares precepts from his 'Book Of Princely Principles'
5. Prince Kal, we learn, is from the world of Imaginaria. Can you tell us a bit about him and his friends?
He's a pompous little squirt, really - yet somehow he's wonderfully likeable, with a compulsion to be honourable and to follow the precepts laid out in his Book Of Princely Principles (which don't always make complete sense!) (pictured)
He's accompanied by his 300 year-old wizard mentor, Lord Feliquoz, his hapless sister Minkle The Useless, and an oofus he has rescued. (Oofuses have six legs, two tails and smell like a blocked drain.). He is befriended by a local girl, Noa, and the splendid, muffin-baking Mrs Evie St Michael.
6. How different is Imaginaria from our world, and how do you play with the differences between these worlds when your characters travel between them?
For a start, everyone is Imaginaria is about half our height! We don't spend a long time exploring Imaginaria, but we learn that they live in gigantic hollowed-out trees, that they have flood seasons instead of years, and most importantly their lives are affected by a magical force known as The Ember which can be used for both good and evil.
Some of the characters readers meet in Prince Kal vs the Salivator Alligator
7. Many of your stories feature time travel / interdimensional travel and Prince Kal's adventures begin when he travels to our world in the Anywhere Cabinet. What does this open to you as a writer?
Interdimensional or time travel gives an opportunity to see our familiar world through the eyes of someone else. It gives me the opportunity as a writer to make jokes about the oddness of human beings, and also to highlight some of the wonders of our own world.
8. We love the play with vocabulary and spelling throughout Prince Kal's diary - 'Sea girl' for seagull and 'flat-top' for laptop, for example. Any favourites?
They were fun to do, but hard to think up! He calls owls 'howls', which, given the noise they make, seems quite sensible!
9. Do you have more adventures planned for Prince Kal? Do you have a favourite place or time for writing?
There's another, probably final, Prince Kal coming in 2027 called Prince Kal's Unlikely Holiday. I've just finished the first draft and it has been such fun to write!
And no: no favourite places to write. I wish I could say my favourite place to write was in my tree-house, by moonlight. Alas, it's just my study, during the day, like a normal job!
10. What are your favourite escapes from writing? Do new places help inspire new stories, or do you like to revisit the places you already know?
I love travelling around the UK and abroad talking to schools about reading and writing. My school show is full of fun and magic. Talking to the people who actually read and love my books is the best inspiration!
Writing Challenge from Ross Welford: Think of something utterly impossible. And then make a character do it anyway. How do people react? How does the character react? What causes it? Is it magic - or something else?
Ross Welford's School Visits: These are my favourite thing! I offer school visits anywhere in the world. A typical day will involve one or two presentations of my show 'Science & Magic' when I talk about magical stories and the wonder of science fiction, including several amazing magic tricks along the way. In addition I do a writing workshop of my own devising which is hugely fun and very popular. My school bookings are handled by Authors Aloud.
Prince Kal vs the Salivator Alligator
The Unlikely Diary of Prince Kal the Alien
