
L. D. Lapinski is the author of the children’s fantasy book The Strangeworlds Travel Agency. She lives just outside Sherwood Forest with her family, a lot of books, and a cat called Hector. When she isn’t writing, L. D. can be found cosplaying, drinking a lot of cherry cola, and taking care of a forest of succulent plants.
Today, L. D. is on the blog to answer a few questions about The Strangeworlds Travel Agency. Read on!
The Strangeworlds Travel Agency is a magical adventure set among so many wonderful not-yet-explored worlds – can you tell us a bit about it and where you got the idea for it?
LDL: Portal fantasy is one of my favourite genres, and I’d always thought I’d like to write a story where the ordinary person goes to new worlds, but I’d never given it any real thought until the day Strangeworlds arrived in my brain.
It really was one of those light bulb (or maybe struck-by-lightning) moments. One minute I was washing my hair, the next minute the travel agency dropped into my head, fully formed. I knew what the suitcases were, I knew they took you to other worlds, and I knew there was a secret society guarding them from … something. I bolted out of the shower (added a dressing gown!) and sat down in front of my laptop, and wrote the first ten thousand words in one day, in a huge desperate word-vomit. After that, I rang my agent and pitched the story to her, and with her encouragement I finished writing it in the fastest time I’ve ever written anything. Three months after I first had the idea, the series was sold!
Do you have a writing routine?
LDL: I usually get to my desk after doing the school run, so I write accompanied by a mug of tea and a bowl of cereal (or crumpets if I’m feeling fancy). I do my best writing in the mornings, so usually write until lunch time and then do something else, whether that’s answer emails, go for a walk or bother the cat. I used to try and make myself write thousands of words a day, but it just burnt me out and I didn’t want to stay at my desk anymore, so now I stop at midday no matter how many words I’ve written, unless I have a deadline coming up. It’s important to me that writing stays enjoyable – it was my hobby before it was my full-time job, and the last thing I want is for it to become a chore.
If you could step into a suitcase and travel to your ideal world, what would it look like?
LDL: I love spending time in and around nature, so my first instinct is to say I’d love to travel somewhere green and calm and beautiful, but I think I’d quite like it to have Wi-Fi, as well. And tea. And crisps. So maybe somewhere futuristic would be fun! I’d like to do the whole travel-in-tubes and space travel thing, so long as I could come home again. I am not like Flick at all, and although I like travelling a little bit, I’m a sucker for a comfy sofa and a phone full of fan-fiction at the end of the day.
Jonathon Mercator is a one-of-a-kind character. Where did you find the inspiration for him?
LDL: Jonathan was never meant to be in the book for as long as he is – he was supposed to be there at the start, and then clear off. But as soon as he got onto the page, he settled down behind the Strangeworlds Travel Agency desk, refused to budge, and even invited members of his family into the story.
I really like writing Jonathan; he’s a terribly insecure person who tries to hide it behind a lot of sarcasm and near-meanness. He’s legally an adult, but really very much as much a child as Flick is, and that really grates on him. He would like to believe he’s capable and in charge, but he needs to learn to ask for help and to swallow his pride. I think Jonathan is a combination of a lot of characters I’ve loved in fiction. There’s bits of Artemis Fowl in his character, some William de Worde from Discworld, Q from the latest James Bond movies, and there’s definitely some Good Omens’ Aziraphale and Crowley mixed into his personality, too!
A number of lessons run through The Strangeworlds Travel Agency. Do you believe life lessons are an important element of children’s literature?
LDL: I think life lessons can be a welcome part of children’s literature, but I don’t necessarily see them as essential, or more important than anything else. In my opinion, reading for pleasure shouldn’t come with a caveat of the book having a life lesson included. If the only ‘lesson’ in a children’s book is that it’s funny to laugh at a poo joke, or that some grown-ups are the absolute worst, then that’s okay! Children are clever and funny and intelligent all by themselves, and most of the time they don’t need adults preaching to them. We can trust in children to be moral and kind without turning all books into parables.
Can you give us a hint on what the future might hold for Flick?
LDL: Flick is in for a very exciting future! Her adventures are far from over, and she’s heading to a lot of exciting new worlds as the series continues. She will discover things about herself, and about Strangeworlds, that will change everything. I can’t tell you very much at the moment, but … there will be secrets revealed, truths exposed, new characters who bring their own perspective on things at The Strangeworlds Travel Agency, and at one point, everyone gets very wet.
What are you reading and loving right now?
LDL: I’m loving Nothing Ever Happens Here by Sarah Hagger-Holt, it’s a fantastic portrayal of family love and people trying their best. I also recently read Danielle Jawando’s And The Stars Were Burning Brightly, and I’m a huge fan of Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper series!
If you could be any character from a book, who would you be?
LDL: Probably Maladict from Monstrous Regiment, by Terry Pratchett. Honestly, turning into a coffee-addicted feminist vampire wouldn’t be a huge stretch for me! Plus, they have truly excellent dress sense, and get to run away with their best friend to live happily ever after and fight bad guys.
Thanks L. D.!
—The Strangeworlds Travel Agency by L. D. Lapinski (Hachette Australia) is out now.

The Strangeworlds Travel Agency
At the Strangeworlds Travel Agency, each suitcase transports you to a different world. All you have to do is step inside . . .
When 12-year-old Flick Hudson accidentally ends up in the Strangeworlds Travel Agency, she uncovers a fantastic secret: there are hundreds of other worlds just steps away from ours. All you have to do to visit them is jump into the right suitcase. Then Flick gets the invitation of a lifetime: join Strangeworlds' magical travel society and explore other worlds...
Comments
No comments