The Tralls of Colum follows two siblings from the Tralldom of Colum, who face challenges tied to environmental changes, friendship, courage, and discovery. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I was a primary school teacher for many years, and on rainy days, I’d tell my class stories of the tralls and their battles to protect their environment.

I noticed that after a storytelling session, my young audience would become more conscious of their effect on the surroundings and more interested in the local flora and fauna.

So, when I retired from teaching, I decided to publish the stories in the hope of reaching a wider audience

and making more children aware of the ways they could protect their own environments.

What were some ideas that were important for you to personify in your characters?

The Tralls of Colum was written for two of my grandchildren, and the main characters Jai and Emi were fashioned on them. They are often complimented on their co-operation, resourcefulness, perseverance, and tolerance, and I wanted to focus on those characteristics in the hope they would resonate with, and influence, my young readers.

What were some goals you set for yourself as a writer in this book?

I live near the coast, so I often see the deleterious effect that plastic waste is having on our beautiful oceans and our defenseless sea life. I wrote The Tralls of Colum to highlight those problems and make our younger citizens aware of the problems that we will face in the future if we don’t act to rid all our waterways of this dangerous material.

What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?

The Trall Series consists of five published books, and each one revolves around a different environmental problem.

The Tralls of Nindarry – displacement of people due to mining.

The Tralls of Mundi – watercourses, aquifers, lakes, and rivers being diverted or polluted due to mining.

The Tralls of Maruchus – the dangerous effects of fracking on the environment.

The Tralls of Colum – the danger our oceans and sea-life face due to plastic waste.

The Tralls of Nosa – the danger faced by native flora and fauna when invasive species are introduced.

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