We caught up with Tommy Donbavand, author of upcoming Gems titles The Terrible Tale of Melody Doom and Once Upon a Time, to find out what inspired him to write for reluctant readers and what we can expect from his upcoming titles...

What inspired you to write for reluctant readers?
My older son, who suffers from dyspraxia, found reading hard as he was growing up. We read together as much as we could at home, but things were different at school; there's was nothing in reading schemes about Biff, Kipper, Chip and magic keys that excited him enough to pick up a new book. I realised that reluctant and struggling pupils needed exciting stories if they were going to be encouraged to turn the page and so I began to pitch ideas to publishers who specialised in that area.

What are the major themes of your work?
Friendship, standing up for what you believe in, and fighting evil (particularly evil dressed in titanium-plated robotic battle armour!)

Can you give us any teasers of what to expect in The Terrible Tale of Melody Doom and Once Upon a Time?
Girls with attitude! Growing up, all the girl characters in the books I read were either meek nobodies who looked after the coats while the boys went on their adventures, or spoiled brats just waiting for their comeuppance. I prefer to write about girls who are keen to get stuck in and show the boys what they're made of.

What is your favourite type of character to create?
The bad guy! Villains are so much fun to invent - especially if they come with secret lairs, diabolical weapons and over-worked minions!

What is your favourite children's book?
Danny, The Champion of the World by Roald Dahl.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers/authors?
Write, write, then write again. Fill notebooks with stories - you'll get better with every tale you write.

If you want to read more about Tommy, you can view his author page here.