The Call From Buckingham Palace follows two cat detectives who are charged with protecting a giant wheel of cheddar at the King’s birthday ball at Buckingham Palace. Where did the idea for this story come from?

The idea grew from observing our own lovely cats, Otis and Zeno, who really are brothers. Otis has large, goofy fangs, and Zeno stands up on his hind legs and bangs the door with his large, fluffy paws. This sparked my imagination and inspired me to create a crazy world where Fang and Bang could live a life of adventure. I had a desire to place Fang and Bang in a setting that felt unmistakably grand, playful, and a little absurd in the best possible way. I wanted the first set of stories to be set in notable landmarks across the UK (though there is a possibility that they will go international at some point…), and celebrating Buckingham Palace naturally carries that sense of occasion off the back of 10 Downing Street in Book 1. Pairing locations that are meaningful to me with something as delightfully specific as a giant wheel of cheddar created the kind of contrast I enjoy writing. At its core, the story is about friendship, resilience, and trust, but told through a lens that keeps things light, imaginative, and entertaining for young readers, which works superbly well when I visit schools.

The illustrations in your book are wonderful. Can you share with us a little about your collaboration with illustrator Katie Tayler?

Working with Katie Tayler has been a genuinely rewarding experience. From the outset, she understood the tone I was aiming for; something expressive, character-driven, and visually engaging. Her vintage-style illustrations don’t just accompany the story; they expand it. She has a strong instinct for bringing out personality in Fang and Bang, and a little-known fact is that she is the ‘cat-mummy’ to Fang and Bang’s real-life sisters, and she has a knack for adding small visual details that give each scene extra life. I should add that I love how she’s created Midnight Mouse; it’s everything I wanted her character to be, which frankly is a smart, sassy antagonist! Our collaboration has felt very natural – we are long-standing friends – with a shared focus on making the book as immersive as possible for children.

What inspired you to incorporate interactive elements in this tale for young readers?

I’ve always been interested in making reading feel participatory rather than passive, especially for younger audiences. Many moons ago, when reading to my own children, I realised that interactive elements invite children to slow down, observe more closely, and engage directly with the story world. It turns the experience into something closer to play, which I think is where a lot of early enthusiasm for reading begins. The aim was to create moments where readers feel like they’re part of the investigation alongside Fang and Bang.

Can we look forward to more adventures featuring Fang and Bang?

Yes, absolutely. There’s plenty more to explore with these characters, and I see their world as one that can continue to grow in scope and imagination. Each new adventure offers an opportunity to place them in fresh, unexpected situations while keeping the humour, mystery, and PSHE themes of friendship, resilience, and trust at the centre. There are certainly more cases ahead for Fang and Bang, indeed, I am writing Book 4 at the moment…!

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