Were there any parts of ‘Bone Talk’ that you particularly liked writing? Were there any parts or scenes that were especially difficult? Over a hundred years ago, a boy named Samkad lives with his tribe in the remote mountains of the Philippines. One day a new boy arrives in the village. He may call himself Samkad’s brother, but he brings news of people called Americans who are coming to ‘civilise’ them and bring war and destruction to Samkad’s home.

More than a hundred years ago, a boy named Samkad thinks he knows everything about the world. He knows the mountains he lives in. He knows his people. He knows his blood enemy, the Mangili. And he wants to become a man, to be given his own shield, spear and axe to fight with. His best friend, Luki, wants all the same things – but she is a girl, and no girl has ever become a warrior.

Don't get me wrong, there were interesting parts and the characters and intrigue were nice but the story seemed a bit messy like it was telling you lots of things without focusing on one. But maybe that's just a good reflection of real life. Sometimes things get in the way of your goals. In this case it was the Americans. What are the main differences and similarities between writing for older children and writing picture books? Do you have a preference for one type of writing? I wondered if this reflected your own perceptions of the UK before you moved here from the Phillipines? What was your experience of moving here like? In any case, the fight scenes/violence were graphic even for kids 10-12 yrs of age, but I think this os necessary to amplify the voice and the struggles of our primary character, Samkad. I felt the inner voices telling him as he did things, even sometimes it felt like a move out of instinct.

This novel creates intrigue to a forgotten war, one that is pushed aside by the big boys - WWI and WWII. The beautiful if not demanding nature of the villages that would live on their own self efficiency is a wonder. They fight, they win or lose, but beyond everything - they survive. The dreary prospect of spending a lifetime making caskets instead of wonderful inventions prompts a young orphan to snatch up his little sister and flee. Where? To the circus, of course. Bone Talk is set in a period that has been allowed to fade away in many memories. In 1899, the United States invaded the Philippines. At the time there were still headhunting tribes, and my story is told from the point of view of Samkad, a ten year old boy who is looking forward to becoming a man when he will be given his own shield, his own spear and an axe to chop off the heads of his enemies. His best friend is Little Luki, who also dreams of becoming a warrior … except she’s a girl and in that society, girls do not become warriors. Then strangers begin arriving in their isolated village and slowly, they realise that the world is not what they thought it was.The horror comes not from the death rituals of the Bontok people, or from the animal sacrifices, or from the tree of bones, but from the monstrosities carried out by the American soldiers. I was pleased to see that Is It A Mermaid? was chosen by Empathy Lab for their 2019 Read for Empathy Guide. Can you tell us a little bit more about the inspiration behind the story and the process of working with Francesca Chessa, the illustrator? For one, these colonisers' intent and interests can be further fleshed out through a comparison of the objects they gave the Bontocs. What do music and books represent? What are guns for? How powerful are photographs? By bringing these objects in the novel and planting them at well selected spots or parts in the entire narrative, I thought about the ways we were subjugated. They differ in function but were used to colonize just the same. Candy's first novel for primary school children, Tall Story, was nominated for the Carnegie Medal, the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, the Blue Peter Book Award and the Branford Boase Prize. Her second book, Shine, was shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Book Prize, and both novels won the Crystal Kite Prize. Other books by Candy include Bone Talk, a historical novel set in the Philippines, and picture books Is It a Mermaidand Mike Falls Up.