Elle McNicoll in conversation with Dr Melanie Ramdarshan Bold

In today’s podcast, we welcome debut author Elle McNicoll in conversation with Dr Melanie Ramdarshan Bold about her first novel A Kind of Spark. Join Elle and Melanie as they discuss the importance of representing neurodiversity in children’s
fiction, inclusive publishing and recognising buried histories.

The Birmingham Lit Fest Presents... podcast brings writers and readers together to discuss some of 2020’s best books. Each Thursday across the next few months we’ll be releasing new episodes of the podcast, including wonderful discussions
about writing, poetry, big ideas and social issues. Join us each week for exciting and inspiring conversations with new, and familiar, writers from the Midlands and beyond.

Take a look at the rest of this year's digital programme on our website: https://www.birminghamliteraturefestival.org/.
For more information on Writing West Midlands, visit https://writingwestmidlands.org/

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Credits

Curator: Shantel Edwards (Festival director)
Guest Curator: Kit de Waal
Production: 11C/ Birmingham Podcast Studios for Writing West Midlands

TRANSCRIPT

BLF Podcast Transcription, Episode 11: Elle McNicoll  

Kit de Waal 

Welcome to the Birmingham Lit Fest Presents…podcast series. I’m Kit de Waal and I’ve worked with the  Festival Director, Shantel Edwards, as Guest Curator of this year’s podcast series. Each Thursday across the  next few months we’ll be releasing new episodes of the podcast, including wonderful discussions about  writing, poetry, big ideas and social issues. In today’s podcast, we welcome debut author Elle McNicoll in  conversation with Dr Melanie Ramdarshan Bold about her first novel A Kind of Spark. Elle’s novel follows 11- year-old Addie as she campaigns to fund a memorial to commemorate the witch trials that took place in her  Scottish hometown, drawing nuanced parallels between the ignorance surrounding Addie’s autism and that  which fuelled historic witch trials. Join Elle and Melanie as they discuss the importance of representing  neurodiversity in children’s fiction, inclusive publishing and recognising buried histories. 

Bournville Book Festival Sponsor Message 

This brilliant episode of the Birmingham Lit Fest Presents…podcast is brought to you in partnership with  Bournville Book Fest, Birmingham’s book festival for children. 

Melanie Ramdarshan Bold 

Hello, and welcome to the Birmingham Literature Festival. I'm Melanie Ramdarshan Bold. I'm an Associate Professor of Publishing and Book Studies – dream job – at University College London, and I am utterly delighted to be speaking to the lovely debut author, Elle McNicoll today. Elle is the author of the delightful,  warm and funny Middle Grade novel [for readers between the ages of eight and 12], A Kind of Spark, which is about Addie, an 11-year-old autistic girl campaigning for a memorial for the witches trials that took place  in her Scottish village. I had the absolute pleasure of teaching Elle during her Publishing MA at UCL, and it  has been a joy to see her career blossom over the last year. Elle, hello.  

Elle McNicoll 

Hi. 

Melanie Ramdarshan Bold 

I'm so excited to speak to you today. 

Elle McNicoll 

Oh, that was surreal having you introduce me.

Melanie Ramdarshan Bold 

It's so weird, isn't it? But lovely.  

Elle McNicoll 

Yeah, really nice.  

Melanie Ramdarshan Bold 

So I'm so delighted to see, you know, the reaction to your book and you as an author over the last few  months. Why don't we start by speaking a wee bit about your route into authorship? 

Elle McNicoll 

Yep. So like Mel just said, I was doing a Publishing MA and I was doing that MA with every intention of going  into publishing as, you know, an editorial assistant or, you know, someone working on the production of  books, not as an author at all. I don't recommend Publishing MAs if you want to be an author, although UCL  was phenomenal, and allowed me to do all the research that I needed for this book, which was the reason I  went. But I wasn't, you know, I wasn't planning on it, and I set up a meeting with Knights Of, who are the  publishers of A Kind of Spark (and I think we'll probably talk about them a bit more later on). But I set up a  meeting with them purely to kind of offer my services as a graduate saying, 'if you ever want a  neurodivergent book on your list, you know, I've got a lot of research on it; I've got my own experience as an  neurodivergent person; I can do any sensitivity reads, proofreading, editing – wherever you need.' That was  the intention of the meeting. And somehow it got turned around to, 'have you written a book?' to which I  stupidly said 'yes'. Even though the book was, you know, had about 2,000 words left to write of it - I've not  told anyone this actually - I went home and wrote those 2,000 words that day. And it's purely by accident Kind Of ended up in the publisher's hands that way. I was looking for a job, I wasn't looking for a book deal. 

Melanie Ramdarshan Bold 

Well, you got a job as an author at the end, and that's so fortuitous. And I love that idea of Knights Of, you  know, sort of seeing the potential and developing that potential. 

Elle McNicoll 

I hope so. I hope that's what it was. I think David, who's the co-founder of Knights Of [Media], and who's  the person that I took the meeting with, I think he's very, just sort of, 'Have you got a book? Anyone got a  book?' He's just that way, he's very inclusive and encouraging to people. And I think it's very that much the  belief that everyone kind of has a book in them. And, you know, I'm just very lucky that he asked, and I  don't know why I said yes. But if I hadn't, we wouldn't be here, so.

Melanie Ramdarshan Bold 

Delighted that you did say yes. So you talked a wee bit, obviously, I know, you've done the Publishing MA,  and you have developed sort of skill sets and experience and knowledge of the publishing industry, not only  over the course of your MA but before and afterwards as well. So how would you say that your publishing  experience and that experience and knowledge has played into your writing?  

Elle McNicoll 

Well, I don't know how it played into the writing. But I think it definitely played into your kind of business  mindset as an author because nowadays authors have to kind of have that marketing sort of mindset as  well. You know, it's only a small few who are privileged enough to kind of lock themselves away and be  creative and not have to do any kind of PR or marketing or self-promotion. So I think the MA really helped  me kind of hone an idea of where the industry is at the moment. My research and the MA 100 per cent  gave me the confidence to say where the gaps in the industry are (and that's a whole other conversation).  But, you know, it gave me that kind of data and analysis to be, you know – and I'm not an academic writer.  Like please, people listening, d...