Kingsley Ross Hill

Hi Kingsley. Congratulations for writing such an amazing series of books, in your MERMAIDS Of MUMBLES SERIES> My name is Vivian Morris . My daughter Amanda takes one of your books to school with her everyday. And she and her friends talk constantly about Una and Armes and their adventures with the sea creatures. I have even read the first two books of your series myself. Unas Great Adventure, and Armes Journey. Your writing is truly wonderful! And so interesting, and educational even for adults. Keep up the good work, it’s not easy to find something interesting and educational for kids these days, especially tween girls.

Thank you so much for your letter, Vivian. I always enjoy getting feedback from my readers. It’s exciting to know that Amanda and her friends are enjoying the series. I try to make my writing educational as well as entertaining. Being taught a lot about the creatures of the ocean by dad has been a wonderful foundation for me, and I have tried to carry on my heritage from his teaching in my writing. If I don’t feel like I know enough about one of the animals that I am writing about, then I research the particular species, which keeps me interested and learning about the animals that I am writing about. Each sea creature has its own special skills and abilities to live and survive in the deep, and I try to relate their various personalities and characteristics to the human condition. For example, Anwens friends, Nelly and Nadine, the Seahorses, blush and change colour when they are embarrassed, just like we humans do.

Hello, this is Sian Davies.
I just wanted to thank you for writing such interesting and wholesome books for children There is so much rubbish out there today which kids shouldn’t even be reading. It’s so refreshing not to have to worry about the content of your books. I am referring to your Mermaids Of Mumbles Series. I have two daughters, one 7 and the other 9, who both can’t get enough of your mermaids. Sarah my seven year old was having trouble reading, until she started reading about Una and the mischievous octopuses that squirt ink at the mermaid sisters. Her favourite mermaid is Una, and her favourite octopus is Sticky Fingers. Your writing is wonderful, please keep it up.

Thank You Sian for your letter
It’s always nice to hear from my readers, and thank you for the nice compliment. I especially liked hearing about Sarah, and that she is now enjoying reading. I think when kids get excited and interested about what they are reading , the learning to read comes naturally. I try to make my mermaid characters interesting, and relate their experiences and challenges to human life as much as possible. Una has a wonderful and approachable personality for example. Although she is the second youngest of the four sisters, she is wise beyond her years, and the other sisters, including Argel, who is the eldest, all come to Una for advice. Una is almost always kind and non judgemental, and will always tell the truth even when it hurts. This makes her a safe place for her sisters to go and confide in. Telling the truth is difficult sometimes, especially when it makes us unpopular with our friends, but Una has learned its benefits and telling the truth in hard situations has grown her courage . This is so true in human relationships. A person with a personality like Unas is a wonderful friend or sister to have in this self – serving and all too often, uncaring society and culture that we live in. Una is loved by her sisters and sea creature friends alike.

Hi I’m Anna
I like how you describe what it’s like to be adopted in your book, Bronwyn. When I was reading about Bronwyn and Armes, I thought I was reading about myself. Your book made me cry. In a good way that is. Not many people understand what it’s like to be adopted. Even my adopted mum and dad can’t really understand what it feels like. I’m sure they try to, but sometimes I feel very alone in how I feel. Reading about Bronwyn and Armes finding each other really helped me to understand that I’m not alone in how I feel. My question is, are you going to continue to write about Bronwyn and Armes’ story in your next book.

Hi Anna
Firstly I want you to know how brave I think you are for writing about how you feel about being adopted. It takes courage to open your heart and share it with other people. When I was creating Bronwyn , in my book, I kept thinking about how I needed to make her ”Courageous ”. She wanted to find her sister so much that she was willing to swim across the Bristol Channel from Devonshire in England, to the town of Mumbles near Swansea in South Wales. It was a long and challenging swim across the sea. So Just like Bronwyn was brave to cross the channel, I think you are brave in sharing how you feel. My wife Janais is adopted too, and she knows how it feels. Try not to be too hard on your mum and dad, even when it feels like they don’t understand how you feel sometimes. I’m sure they love you very much. So much so that they chose you to be part of their family. now to answer your question, Anna. Yes, I am going to continue to write about Bronwyn and Armes in my next book in the series. Thank you for your letter.