Interview: Swapna Haddow talks about The Terrible Trio

Swapna Haddow grew up in the UK and wrote her first book at age eight. She wishes she’d kept it, but it seemed like a good idea at the time to trade it for two stickers and a couple of marbles! Her first published book was the hilarious junior novel Dave Pigeon, which grew into a laugh-out-loud, award-winning series.

She has since written many funny, colourful and much-loved picture books as well as further junior fiction series. Swapna loves to write stories filled with boisterous animals causing mayhem, with friendship and humour consistently at the heart of her work. Swapna now lives in Dunedin with her husband, son and their dog. Swapna talks to NZ Booklovers.

Tell us a little about The Terrible Trio.

The Terrible Trio is set in a world where every animal has a superpower. Unfortunately for three characters, Zeb the zebra, Margarine the penguin and Barry the lemur, who were at the end of the queue when superpowers were being handed out, they got the worst superpowers.

The series follows their adventures and mishaps and how they find their place in a world full of superheroes. In the very first book, The (not so) Superheroes, Zeb struggles with the idea of not being as super as everyone else and tries to create a situation where he can be a real superhero but things don’t go to plan. 

What inspired you to write this book?

I’ve always been fascinated by the animal kingdom. Animals can truly do extraordinary things and to me, as a child, it felt like they had superpowers. It got me thinking about what it might be like if you were an animal who didn’t have a superpower and how you might try to find your way in a world full of super-runners and super-swimmers and animals who can super-camouflage.

What research was involved?

I’ve been stashing away weird animal facts since I was a child, so research was all about recalling those facts and adding to them. I also watched a bunch of superhero movies (but that was mainly so I could use our popcorn maker).

There wasn’t a huge amount of research involved. This series is all about being creative and feeling free to imagine and create a world of characters that would make readers laugh.

What was your routine or process when writing this book?

My routine was very much deadline based as I was working around other books too. I don’t like to have too many projects on the go at the same time as I start to worry all the characters might sound the same! So, I straddled this book with a non-fiction series I was writing.

I tend to block out time and work on a first draft. I then put it away and work on something else – in this case it was the non-fiction series I was writing and then I come back to edit the first draft after some time away from it. Looking at your writing with fresh eyes really helps to see where things work well and where they don’t.

How did you work with the illustrator, Minky Stapleton?

I wrote the first draft and worked with my editor to make it as strong as possible and then it was sent to Minky who illustrated and designed the book. Once she had worked on her rough sketches, the team and I all had a look and all marvelled at how brilliant she is and we sent back our notes which Minky then used to complete her final art. She has done the most incredible job and I find myself laughing out loud at the hilarious drama she has created with her illustration.

If a soundtrack were made to accompany this book, name a song or two you would include.

Oh, I would absolutely have to include The Avengers by Alan Silvestri – you can’t not feel in a superhero mood, stand tall and puff out your chest to this one. It’s got superhero written all over it!

I would also include Losers by Youngtones. It really communicates the challenges Zeb, Marge and Barry have trying to fit in in a world of awesome superheroes.

What did you enjoy the most about writing The Terrible Trio?

It has to be the escapism. It’s pure joy being in the world of The Terrible Trio – I love Zeb, Marge and Barry so much. The real world can be a bit tough, so I feel very fortunate to be able to lose myself in their hilarity and jokes.

The Terrible Trio is already successful internationally! Can you tell us a little about that?

The global reception to The Terrible Trio has been incredible. We have had co-publications with the Scholastic teams in Australia, the US, Canada and the UK and the book have sold into sixteen territories which is mind-blowing. I can’t wait to see all the translated editions together and I’m thrilled that Zeb, Marge and Barry get to travel all over the world to young readers.

What did you do to celebrate finishing this book?

We celebrated with a super party book launch at University Book Shop in Dunedin. Minky flew down and so did our publisher, Lynette. It was huge fun and wonderful to see so many friends and family and new friends come along. There was cape-making, competitions, a reading, a drawalong, crafts, a superhero photo booth, goody bags and of course cake. We even had our very own Zeb the zebra meeting and greeting everyone at the front door. I had the best time!

What is the favourite book you have read so far this year and why?

I just finished reading The Big Boil Up by Angie Belcher and Zak Ātea. It such a joyful book and I love sharing it with young ones. The act of making and sharing food in my family is so important to many core memories we have as a family, so this book is just wonderful to read as it celebrates the making and sharing of food commonplace many other families.

What’s next on the agenda for you?

We have more in The Terrible Trio series on the way! There are TWO more books landing next year and they are just as much fun as this one. Minky’s illustrations are brilliant and hilarious, and I have loved writing the stories, so I hope readers are excited for those books. It you like animals, superheroes, graphic novels and funny stories, you’ll love this series.

Scholastic NZ