Zizou Corder biography

Interview

The mother and daughter team that together write under the pseudonym Zizou Corder discuss their bestselling triology Lionboy, how they collaborate on their books and whether Isabel plans to be a writer in her own right - when she grows up!

(Both) - Describe the collaboration process?

Isabel: It didn't really seem like work - we'd just chat and have ideas and talk about what the people are going to do next, and how they feel, and whether there should be another shipwreck and should we bring the whale in yet and what we want in the circus. Then mum writes it all down and I read it and tell her if it's any good. Then she gets stuck and comes to talk to me again. Lots of things get into the book - Mum's boyfriend Robert is a film composer and he wrote some tunes for my lizard Zizu and they ended up in the book too - they're the circus music and it's printed in the book so you can play it. And there's a Ghanaian nursery rhyme that my Grandma knows. And there are some really good maps and diagrams.

Louisa: That pretty much describes it.


(Both) - How/Why did you decide that the protagonist would be a boy?

Louisa: He just was. Some people are. (Actually it went like this: 'Tell me a story mum.' 'What about?' 'A naughty boy called Charlie'.).


(Isabel) - Where did you get your ideas?

Mum found one growing in the compost heap, all cold and sad and lonely in its little coat, ...