Pirates Ahoy!

Come and meet the worst pirate ever! Young Barnacles Blunderbeard will lose his ship - unless he can prove he's a great pirate by finding some treasure! We asked author Amy Sparkes to tell us more!

With dodgy chickens, the odd kraken, a spot of treasure and laughs a plenty, Pirate Blunderbeard will hook you! We caught up with AMY SPARKES to ask her more about PIRATE BLUNDERBEARD - WORST. PIRATE. EVER. Q: Have you ever fancied the idea of a pirate life? A: I grew up by the sea, staring out to the horizon and dreaming of adventure. There was also a pirate-themed adventure park, 'Treasure Island' in my home town which we used to go to, so pirates and the sea were always part of my childhood. I love the idea of a pirate life - going off into the wide world on a quest, filled with adventure... the crash of the waves... the smell of salt in the air... However, I also get very seasick so I think if I'd been a pirate, I'd have to keep asking people to stop at the next island! Q: Are you an expert on all things pirate? A: All my five children love playing pirates so for the last ten years, I've felt like part of a pirate crew! We were playing pirates again yesterday. (Why do I never get to be Captain?? - boo hiss!) We dress up as pirates, play 'Pirates of the Caribbean' soundtrack and make up a story which we act out. It's great! Much more fun than doing the washing up. I'm not really a pirate 'expert' but then neither is Blunderbeard! Q: Why do you make Barnacles Blunderbeard the 'worst pirate ever'? A: There are lots of stories about amazing, famous pirates who were just awesome at being pirates. But what about the ones who really weren't very good at it? I thought it would be fun to write about that. I think the worst thing a pirate could do is probably sink his own ship because it's so much harder to be a pirate without a ship! Does that happen to Blunderbeard? You'll have to read and see... Q: What would you have failed at as a pirate? A: I think I would have definitely failed at treasure-hunting. I can't even find my car keys in the morning! And when I do find them, I make the mistake of putting them down to put someone's cardigan on for the third time... and then can't find the keys again! Even if I had a treasure map, I'd have forgotten to put a 'X' on it. Or put it in the wrong place! I would have been great at kraken-wrestling, though. All those limbs everywhere! It's just like trying to put coats and shoes on all my children and get them all out the door in time for school. No worries. Q: What is the best pirate pet to have - and why does Barnacles get a chicken?! A: I think a pet kraken could come in really useful for a pirate. Though I'm not sure how tame it would be! Maybe that would be part of the fun! Blunderbeard starts off wanting to be like all the other pirates, so he was aiming for a parrot, sort of missed... and ended up with a chicken. And Boris is brilliant! She is one of my favourite characters. I wanted Blunderbeard to have a pet who would also be his friend, even if they drive each other mad sometimes. I love how they squabble, even though Boris never actually says a word. Q: What's the oddest pet you've ever had? A: The oddest pet I ever had... Well, I once had a woodlouse circus, which I used to run at about 6 o'clock in the morning. I thought woodlice were fascinating little creatures. I'd collect them from the garden and make them a little obstacle course in my bedroom. I always looked after them and put them back in the garden afterwards. Oddly enough, my mum wasn't very impressed... Especially when I woke her up to come and look... Q: Barnacles is also something of an inventor - which of his machines is your favourite? A: Probably my favourite is the Blaster-HunterTM although I think I'd fiddle with it slightly so it tracked down chocolate instead of gold! I wish someone would invent a SockSorterTM. Somewhere in my house - in a dark, forgotten corner - there must be a mountain of odd socks. There's seven of us living here and that's a lot of odd socks. I mean, where do they go? How does it happen? I've decided we must have a Sock Goblin (we've called him Arthur) who nicks them all. Q: Barnacles has many lows as well as a high or two during this story. What were your biggest successes and failures as a child? A: I think they are both linked to imagination. My biggest success was probably running with my imagination (or at least making an effort to keep up!). I could see adventure, mystery and magic in everything. I wrote and performed plays at school and was full of inspiration. However, on the flip side, it did sometimes get me into a teensy bit of trouble... Which leads me on to my biggest failure. At school, I was convinced there was a magical land underneath this huge drain in the girls' toilets and I spent ages trying to undo the massive screws in there - they were about 9cm long and 2cm wide! I did get one out before I was discovered. Whoops... It probably made for a funny conversation in the staff room but I think if I was a pirate, I'd end up walking the plank A LOT. Q: What's next for Pirate Blunderbeard? A: There are many more adventures on the way for Blunderbeard. His second tale, PIRATE BLUNDERBEARD: WORST. HOLIDAY. EVER. is out on 27th July. Blunderbeard gets tricked into going to the Island of No Return and Blackbeard won't collect him until he finds some treasure. Q: What are your top tips for younger writers? A: Dream a lot, read a lot, and write the story you wish someone else would write! Enjoy! Q: What is your favourite thing about being an author, and your favourite escape from writing? A: My favourite thing about being an author is the freedom of imagination - the magic which is just waiting there for you to dream it. There are no boundaries, no rules, anything is possible. And I love that. I don't really have or need an escape from writing, as I love it so much. It's a part of me. But when I'm not writing, I love climbing trees or walking by the sea, over hills, or in forests. I think I'm probably my most creative in nature, which is why I love climbing trees and writing up there! Perhaps a boat trip out on the sea might inspire a new Blunderbeard book. As long as someone can drop me off at the nearest island before I get too seasick! Thank you very much for your interesting questions! Amy