Alex Marchant: Clamour and Mischief's Author Spotlight

Alex joins Clamour and Mischief with the story "Watchers," and also reads a bit, so tune in to "Watchers" and have a listen.

* My favourite tidbit learned during my research was the Hungarian name for the hooded crow - the 'dolman crow' (dolmányos varjú), named after the Turkish word for a robe with sleeves, as seen in the black wings upon its grey body. But I initially read it as 'dolmen' crow, as in a megalithic tomb - perfect for use in a story which prominently features a prehistoric standing stone ... So I left the erroneous spelling in the tale...

* I rarely write short stories – preferring the time and space allowed by longer formats (likening it to my preference for playing 11-a-side football in my youth, rather than the more frenetic 5-a-side – you have more time to think and develop attacks/characters/situations - or indeed to regroup and defend...). So it was enjoyable to rise to the challenge of creating something different for Clamour and Mischief.

* My favourite corvid? But there are so many wonderful birds within the family. I love the chattering jackdaws that nest in our and our neighbours' chimneys. I'm pleased we don't have the amazing sociability of a rookery as close as that – but I have a soft spot for these birds that feature so heavily in my favourite children's book, Susan Cooper's 'The Dark is Rising'. Magpies are the stuff of magic with their legendary obsession with shiny things, and their 'One for sorrow, two for joy' verse that I repeat to myself every time I see them. But hooded crows have remained in my imagination since my very first visit to Ireland as a teenager, with my mind full as it was of the myths and legends of the great warriors of the pre-Christian past, so it's perhaps no surprise I chose them for my contribution to 'Clamour and Mischief.'

My blog and social media are: https://alexmarchantblog.wordpress.com and Twitter.

Read all the Q&As with our Clamour and Mischief contributors.

Alex Marchant was born and raised in the rolling downs of southern England, but, following stints in archaeology and publishing in London and Gloucester, now lives surrounded by moors near Haworth in Yorkshire, once home to the Brontë sisters.

Alex’s first novel, Time out of Time, won the 2012 Chapter One Children’s Book Award, but was put on hold in 2013 at the rediscovery of King Richard III’s grave in a Leicester car park. Believing the king was maligned after death and finding no children’s books telling his real story, Alex was inspired to write them. Thus The Order of the White Boar sequence was born, telling Richard’s story through the eyes of a young page in his service. The Richard III Society called them ‘a wonderful work of historical fiction for both children and adults’. The fourth book, Sons of York, was published in 2022.

Alex has also edited two anthologies of stories by authors inspired by King Richard III – Grant Me the Carving of My Name and Right Trusty and Well Beloved – both sold to raise money for Scoliosis Association UK (SAUK), which supports people with the same condition as the king. Website: alexmarchantblog.wordpress.com.