Author joins class Zoom call for virtual visit

Eager readers at a school in Kesgrave tweeted the author of their class book Cosmic and were treated to a live Q&A with him via Zoom.

Frank Cottrell-Boyce, author of multiple screenplays and children's books, joined the Year 5 pupils at Cedarwood Primary School on their Zoom call last week after responding to their tweet which featured artwork inspired by the tale.

Teacher Rachel Esling said: "The children were thrilled to be making contact with an author whose work they have LOVED reading."

During the Zoom call Mr Cottrell-Boyce was asked: "What does it feel like when you write?"

He commented that he had never been asked this before and added: "It’s a mixture of feelings. When you first start to write it’s tingling and bright like this morning. Exciting.

"Then in the middle, it’s hard work and you’ve really got to grind it out but then these magic thing happen just as you kind of finish writing it.

"Suddenly everything kind of fits and you know what works and what kind of doesn’t work and it’s dead exciting and that’s when you’re kind of rewriting it. Rewriting is really, really exciting."

And when he was asked about his favourite childhood books, much to the delight of his audience, he left his seat to browse his own bookshelves and returned with a book that he said had been left in the caravan he was holidaying in, in North Wales when he was about seven, entitled Tales of the Greek Heroes by Roger Lanceyln Green.

He explained it was the first time he had really sat down and read a proper book. "It was nice to be curled up with a book with the rain drumming down on the caravan roof," he said.