Serena Holly
About Author
Serena Holly is the pseudonym for Sereta, author of The Marvellous Granny Jinx series, created by Storymix.
Interview
The Marvellous Granny Jinks and Me (Simon & Schuster Children's Books)
January 2022
Granny Jinks is the kind of granny we all wish we could have, so when her granddaughter Jada discovers that Granny Jinks has a secret yearning to be a magician, she does what she can to help make that dream come true! With lots of giggles and plenty of heart, this is a story that celebrates grandparents, families of all shapes and sizes - and magic!
Here, author Sereta (Serena Holly) explains how she worked with Storymix to create The Marvellous Granny Jinks and Me, and why this is one not to miss!
Download a chapter from The Marvellous Granny Jinks and Me
Q&A with Sereta (Serena Holly)
1. Can you tell us about The Marvellous Granny Jinks and Me?
Sure! The book is all about a young girl named Jada Jinks, who discovers that her grandmother has a secret wish to become a magician. So Jada decides that she wants to make that dream a reality for her gran, and sets about to help Granny Jinks wow the judges at the local Magic Society auditions!
2. What sparked the idea for Granny Jinx?
I worked on this book with the fiction studio StoryMix, so why don't I let them tell you more about the idea?
Hi! I'm Jasmine from Storymix and I helped create the Granny Jinks series. With these books, I really wanted to create a series that celebrated the very special relationship between grandchildren and grandparents. It is a unique bond and one I think we've come to value even more during the pandemic.
I was also inspired by the amazing figure who is Jenny Mayers - the first Black woman to be admitted into the Magic Circle. I knew that Jada and Granny Jinks had the potential to be characters who would be absolutely adored by grown ups and children alike. However, it was all about finding the right writer to make them as empathetic and appealing as possible - I'm so pleased to say that I found that writer and we've had so much fun collaborating on this book!
3. The relationship between Jada and her granny is very close. Have you based the characters on anyone you know?
I definitely had my mother's mother in mind when thinking about Granny Jinks - she and her sister were both quite eccentric and fun to hang out with!
4. Is it important to you that children's books include different kinds of families, like Jada, her dad and gran?
Definitely - like with lots of things, it's so important that children get to see all sorts of different situations reflected back at them from the books they read. So different family set-ups are very important to see in fiction.
5. Why did you decide you wanted to write this novel and through it, to celebrate the achievements of the first black female magician?
When Jasmine at Storymix approached me about writing this book, I was so struck by the fact that so few women - especially Black women - are seen as magicians in stories, or in real life. So to have a sweet story that celebrated a female magician felt really important. I also loved the fact that it's an intergenerational story about a girl and her grandmother. Plus I love cats!
I was given the basic outline of the story and then got to sprinkle my own magic on it as a writer. : )
6. We learn about some great magic tricks in the book. How much research did you need to do into being a magician in order to write it?
Thankfully I had Storymix's very helpful outline to work from, and they'd done some research into some of the tricks, while for others, I found it really useful to go on YouTube and look up how some of the tricks are done. That was eye opening, and really helpful.
7. Why did you want to include tricks that your readers can try out, at the end of the book?
Part of the fun of magic is being wowed by something you can't explain, but it's also fun to learn tricks and be able to impress your friends and family, so it's nice that because the story is a peek behind the curtain of being a magician; the readers can also try their hand at it.
8. Can you do any magic tricks yourself?
Unfortunately I don't know any myself - I don't think my hand-to-eye co-ordination is good enough!
9. Do you have any favourite illustrations in the book; do the characters illustrated by Selom Sunu look how you imagined they would?
The illustrations are fantastic - it's so fun seeing the words I've written brought to life. I especially love the picture of Granny Jinks with her hankie!
10. Are you planning to write more books about Jada and her Granny Jinks? What's next for these characters?
Yes, there's a sequel to the book coming, and we'll get to see what happens next for Granny Jinks and her magic - I don't want to spoil anything that happens in this book though!
11. What do you enjoy doing when you're not busy writing?
Writing definitely keeps me busy alongside my day job as an editor, but in my spare time I'm trying to learn to play the bass guitar. And maybe I should take up some magic, too!
The Marvellous Granny Jinks and Me
