Ruby Clyde and Rachel WD introduce their Glam and Beardy series
About Author
Meet Ruby Clyde and Rachel WD, the comedy duo behind new fantasy series Glam and Beardy!
Rachel WD and Ruby Clyde are also known as Shelf - a comedy double act that write and perform for adults and children. They are regular writers on series 7 of The Amazing World of Gumball (Cartoon Network) and currently have children's fiction and television projects in development.
Shelf blends standup with elements of musical comedy and sketch and their live shows have been cult hits and toured internationally. They are also the founders of queer comedy collective The LOL Word.
Interview
April 2026
Comic act Shelf introduce their children's book debut, Glam and Beardy
ReadingZone caught up with Ruby Clyde and Rachel WD, who perform together as the comedy act Shelf, to find out about their move into children's books with the Glam and Beardy comedy fantasy adventure.
This warm and funny story follows Glam as she tries to bond with - and then get rid of - her Familiar, Beardy. Their adventures are told through Glam's diary, with frequent additions from Beardy, making it an accessible and page-turning read for children aged eight years plus.
Q&A with Ruby Clyde and Rachel WD, introducing their debut Glam and Beardy
"The hardest part is working out the plot, but once we get into the writing,
we're just trying to make each other laugh like we always have."
1. Hello Ruby and Rachel! Can you tell us a little about yourselves and your comedy act? How did you get involved in writing children's books?
We grew up on the same street and have been friends since then! We started performing as Shelf in 2015, and after a few years someone commented that kids might enjoy our surreal sketch comedy. We thought we were way too edgy to perform for kids but it turns out we were a) wrong and b) it's way funner.
Once we realised this was the area we wanted to be in, we started writing for cartoons (The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball) and linked up with the dream team at Little Tiger to develop the Glam & Beardy series.
2. What is your debut, Glam & Beardy Vol 1, about, and what inspired the story?
Glam & Beardy is a comedy fantasy about two kids (a human one and a lizard one) in a world that's split into Kindoms. At 10 years old people meet a Familiar whose Mark determines which Kindom they belong to. Glam is desperate to belong to the same Kindom as the rest of her family, but when she meets her Familiar, Beardy, Beardy has no Mark at all.
This is the first time that's ever happened, and given that the two of them have nothing in common, they decide they're not supposed to be together and set out on a quest to find out what went wrong. But along the way, they realise their world isn't as simple as it seems and they might belong together after all…
We wanted to talk about friendship, identity, and society in a heightened and silly way that put our cartoon experience to good use.
3. How do you write the books together - who does what? Do you enjoy the writing experience or find it hard work? Do you have a favourite moment in the story?
We do it kind of like playing a videogame together - one of us plays up until the end of a level, and then we swap. (And you can swap early if you get stuck!) We also edit each other as we go, so rather than either of us doing some things, we're basically both doing all the things.
We really enjoy it. The hardest part is working out the plot, but once we get into the writing, we're just trying to make each other laugh like we always have. Ruby's favourite moments are any times when Glam and Beardy pull off a heist together, and Rachel's favourite moment is when Glam's family surprise her in anoraks - you'll have to read the book to find out why!
4. Glam tells her story in diary format - or historical record, according to Glam. Why did you decide on this format?
When we write for cartoons, we're focusing on visual comedy and sharp dialogue. We wanted to bring that into the book format, and a diary seemed like a clean way to have characters 'talk' in real time and 'draw' their experiences as well as write them. We also loved the idea that the book can feel like an artefact - a diary from another world.
5. Can you tell us about the setting for this story on Kin Isle, and the families who live here? How did you go about creating this world and its 'rules'?
This was a LONG process that involved us basically writing several other novels worth of backstory and lore. We got very, very into it. We knew we wanted a world that divided people up based on their traits, which is a pretty classic in sci fi and fantasy - but as we wanted this to be a comedy, we knew we wanted those divisions to be silly. That's why our Kindoms are Glamour, Power, Sparkle, Harvest, and Wisdom.
Readers will find out more about the history as the series goes on - this is a comedy but we still want the backdrop of the world to be dramatic, epic, and to feel real in its own way.
6. Why did you decide to give the people of Kin familiars? If you found yourselves on Kin Isle, what would be your dream familiar - and what do you think might you actually get?
We wanted the people in this world to have an externalised expression of their true natures. Glam has spent years 'hiding' and trying to fit in with her Glamour family, but when Beardy arrives it becomes impossible for her to hide anymore. We have also always worked as a duo, and we wanted to create a world where everyone operates in duos like us!
Ruby: I would like a wolf or something, but I feel like it would probably be something quite small with a very fast heartrate, like a hummingbird. Rachel: My dream Familiar would be a big rhino Familiar who reflects my big personality and is also awkward in shops. And I think that's what I would get!
7. How did Glam and Beardy - Glam's familiar - develop, and have you drawn on anyone you know in creating these characters? What did you think of Vincent Batignole's illustrations of these two?
We drew very heavily on ourselves and our own friendship. One character is shy, anxious, and feels like she has to follow the rules. The other is hyper confident, hyper hyper, and has zero regard for rules. If you meet us, you will very quickly work out who is who. The second we saw Vincent's illustrations we were obsessed. We knew that we wanted the illustrations to have a strong influence from the world of animation, and Vincent's work completely captures the energy and comedy that we imagined when we drew him terrible example images on Microsoft Paint.
8. As well as a cracking adventure, Glam and Beardy have a lot to say about difference and inclusion. What kinds of discussions can their story raise, and what do you hope your readers take from their adventures?
We hope readers take away the feeling that it's ok to trust yourself, and that even if you feel like the most different person on the planet there's probably a long history of people who are surprisingly like you. Also that it's ok to be different from your family - you're still family.
9. What else do you have planned for Glam and Beardy and Kin Isle?
Hopefully about 20 books, a long running cartoon series, and several Oscar winning film adaptations. We like to set realistic goals.
10. What's your favourite way to relax away from your keyboards - and to get inspiration for new stories!
We like to go to the gym, reconnect with nature, and have the occasional hang out where we don't talk about work to help keep the spark alive.
Creative Challenge from Ruby and Rachel: Create your own Kindom and Familiar!
What kind of animal would your Familiar be, and which Kindom would you belong to? Your Kindom could be anything - Snack Kindom, Sleep Kindom, Drawing Kindom - you can use one of our Kindoms or write whatever speaks to you!
Writing Prompts
● How do people spend their days in your Kindom?
● What magical powers do Familiars have in your Kindom? A Familiar from Sleep Kindom might be able to give people any dreams they want, or fire a ray that makes people take a nap!
● What kind of things do people wear in your Kindom? School Visits:
Organise a school visit from Ruby and Rachel
We love doing school visits! We run 'Funny Stories' workshops that we adapt depending on the age group that include a mix of our sketch comedy and writing exercises. In the workshop kids come up with their own ideas for characters, a setting, and a story, and we all work together to create funny moments in a live, interactive piece of comedy. It's a very inclusive workshop for both kids that love writing and kids that don't, and every class we've met has come up with ideas that have truly cracked us up.
Glam and Beardy (book 1)
