Pet Defenders battle alien beetles!

Look out for Gareth P Jones's latest series, Pet Defenders, and the first book - Attack of the Alien Dung! A gigantic alien beetle is eating its way through Earth - can the Pet Defenders stop it?

We asked author GARETH P JONES to tell us more about ATTACK OF THE ALIEN DUNG! Q: In this story, pets help to save the Earth. Do you wonder what pets get up to when we're not home? A: The question certainly inspired the series. When I go into schools to talk to kids it is evident how much they love their pets and the idea that those pets are secretly fighting aliens is one I hope they will find appealing. Q: Why did you decide that the defenders of the Earth should be animals, not humans? A: I've always loved the idea of fantastic stories that can happen alongside our 'real' world. I did this with my first ever series (The Dragon Detective) and it's been fun to go back to it with this one. That's why I came up with the Forget-Me-Plop, which seagulls drop on people's heads to wipe their memories. Q: Why did you pair up Biskit, a dog, with Mitzy, a cat? A: It's a classic cop buddy story really. Biskit is wild and brilliant. Mitzy is meticulous and smart. They rub each other up the wrong way but they find a way. Making them a dog and a cat felt like the obvious thing to do. They need to learn to work together to keep the world safe. I firmly believe that the solutions to problems lie in compromise and in finding common ground, rather than shouting each other down. Q: What about you - are you a dog or a cat person? A: I am allergic to dogs and cats (and anything with fur) so neither really. I respect cats more because they do their own thing but I think dogs are, on the whole, nicer. As a child, we had a gerbil, which my mum rescued from school, and, for a very short time, I had a pet bee. Q: In this story, Biskit and Mitzy meet a large and fearsome beetle. Have you ever had a nasty close encounter with a bug? A: I'm OK with beetles but since we moved (from a flat) into a house, we have discovered that a few have found their way inside. My wife freaks out about it but I'm all right with them. I think the reason one appeared in the book was because it was about dung so it made sense (to me at least) for it to form a dung beetle. Q: Yes, there's a lot of dung in this book - pooping seagulls, cow pats and and an alien dung beetle. And it's very funny. Is this the kind of story that would have made you laugh as a child? A: Yes. I always try to include as many different kinds of humour in these books. Like my readers, I find different things funny so I like to cover as many bases as possible. Q: What next for Biskit and Mitzy? What kinds of aliens should we expect in future stories? A: It's beards in the second book, which I always find funny. Then it's snot in the third book, as our heroes end up on Planet Bogey. I'm now writing the fourth book, which appears to be about robot dogs. As the series progresses you realise that there is a story arc involving Biskit's previous partner and Mitzy's lost owner. In one sense, the series is about two characters who have lost loved ones and about how they get over that and move on. In another sense it's about pets, aliens and a whole lot of dung and snot! Q: What did you think of Steve May's illustrations? A: I have three words for Steve's illustrations: Wonderful, wonderful and wonderful. OK, so that's the same word said three times but you get the idea. Q: What are your top tips for young writers? A: Write the stories you want to read and read the stories you'd like to write. Q: What do you do to escape? A: We just bought a piano. I spend far too much time playing it. Q: What are you writing now? A: As well as book four of Pet Defenders, I have a book about getting to school on time. I'm excited about it because I came up with the idea with my son, Herbie.