Marcus Sedgwick and Pete Williamson: Winners of the Blue Peter Book Awards 2011 (Most Fun Story with Pictures)

Marcus Sedgwick and Pete Williamson are the award-winning author and illustrator team behind the gothic pottiness of The Raven Mysteries series.

Congratulations on winning the Blue Peter Book Award 2011: Most fun story with pictures!

Marcus Sedgwick and Pete Williamson: Thank you!

Were you fans of Blue Peter when you were young?

MS: Yes - my brother and I watched it avidly. I'm John Noakes' Cresta run era, if that means anything to anyone today!

PW: I watched it avidly too and am also of the Noakes and Purves generation.

Did you know each other before The Raven Mysteries or did Orion put you together?

MS: No, Orion put us together and I have to say I'm delighted with how it's worked out. Pete is just superb to work with, and it's great fun.

PW: It's been really great to work with Marcus and I always look forward to reading the manuscripts almost before anyone else. They're always hilarious and inspiring.

What were your favourite stories with pictures when you were growing up, and now?

MS: I didn't have that many books with pictures when I was little. My favourite picture book was called The Frog in the Well, but I also loved The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. And the Blackberry Farm books. I would like to move on to the next question now as I'm feeling very old.

PW: I remember liking a book about the adventures of a yak - I can't remember anything about it other than on one page there was a picture of a large yak god's hoof emerging from a cloud and reaching out to the little yak below - I only saw the Sistine Chapel image of God giving life to Adam years and years later. And I loved Elmer and Dr Seuss both of which I'm now reading to my one-and-a-bit-year old daughter.

Marcus - did you always know the series would be illustrated? Are you enjoying writing for younger readers?

MS: Yes, that was always the plan. I love writing books for younger readers, and also writing books with (really bad) jokes in them - it's nice to have a bit of fun sometimes!

Pete could you tell us about your drawing techniques and who your main influences are?

PW: I use a scratchy old drawing pen, Indian ink for outlines and large areas of black, and then black watercolour paint for the shading and textures and I also use a very specific paper from Fabriano Artistico. My main influence is an American writer/artist called Mark Beyer. My work doesn't look anything like his but I like the way his work is very odd and unsettling but at the same time very funny. I also found looking at Edward Gorey's work very good for The Raven Mysteries.

Pete - do you prefer illustrating other people’s stories or your own?

PW: Other people's stories are easier as I never seem to finish writing my own.

Marcus - where did the inspiration behind The Raven Mysteries come from and what other adventures does Castle Otherhand have in store?

MS: The whole thing started with the phrase 'I suspect I may have fleas again' - a sentence I put in my notebook one day, and which about four years later I realised was the voice of Edgar, the grumpy but kind-hearted raven, trying to get out!

Visit Pete Williamson's gallery of illustrations