29th July 2010

Louise tells all about the new gang: Talullah,Vaisey,Honey and Flossie! We hear about Tallulah’s nobbly knees, bicycle ballet, explosions, fist kisses and, of course, hot boys!

Who is Tallulah Casey?
Talullah is the younger nobbly kneed slightly corkerless cousin of Georgia. ( I say corkerless, but she has worked out a system of encouraging them to grow..it involves hiking socks.)
She has inherited the hiddly diddly diddle mad Irish dancing gene of the Irish side of the family. But she is lovely, and funny because she gets out of control when she is nervous. You will see what I mean when you read about her catapulting into the backstage area from her bike in her notorious, never to be forgotten ‘Sugar plum bikey.’
(Yes it is a bicycle ballet…)

Is she like Georgia?
She’d like to be, which is a bit alarming. She sadly actually thinks that Georgia knows about stuff. And is grown up. Despite the fact that Georgia gave her an false moustache that she has grown out of. Georgia tells Lullah it will ‘impress’ the other students. And make them not notice her knees.

Who’s your favourite character from Withering Tights?
Ooooooh thats a bit hard. I love Lullah of course, but I have a soft spot (leave it) for the landlord of The Blind Pig. He calls Dother Hall the performing arts college, ‘Dither Hall’ and says “Wheres the big lad gone?’ and when Lullah walks in says;“Aaah there you are.”

Who are the hot boys in the book?
So many many boys! Woolf Academy just down the road is FULL of them, and there is Phil and Charlie and Ben and Jack. Then there are the notorious Hinchcliffe boys, Ruben, Seth and Cain. They are baaaaaaad. Cain is badder than bad. Yes he is that bad. But good looking and all the village girls go for him and is baad to them .And he calls his pigs Smokey and Streaky and that is baaad.
Also the Hinchcliffes are in a band called The Jones.
Plus there is the gorgeous Alex the elder brother of one of Talullahs new mates.

Is there anyone like Dave?
There is Charlie and Phil, they are funny and cute and cheeky. They have been sent to Woolfe Academy after some incident involving a science lab and a small explosion. They are there to learn how to be responsible adults instead of out of control ‘yoof’. It is not working as such.

The book is set up North – what’s best, North or South?!
Oh I see… a trick question…what about the West and East don’t you care about them? You dont even mention the Midlands. Are you being a bit Midlands-ist?
And what about Wales?
Don’t you like the Wales people because they live in the head bit of the piggy on the map of England?
What about the people in the botty bit of the map of England?

Is the story based on your life (like the Georgia books)?
No how dare you suggest I once was caught rubbing my corkers with hiking socks to make them grow!

Do you have a favourite scene in the new book?
I think Talullahs first kiss ..although it makes me laugh and cringe at the same time.Especially when the boy shakes her hand at the end….
And also when the new gang `(Talullah,Vaisey,Honey and Flossie) are doing a dance round a tree to elebrate their bodies, Talullah is shouting at the tree;
‘You know you want the knees!! Offer yourself to the knees!!”
When Charlie and Phil (who they have never met before) pop out and say;
‘Quickly get a bucket of water! It’s a girl fest!

How many more books are in the Tallulah Casey series, and do you know what’s going to happen?!
There are two more books in the series, and of course I know what is going to happen. Do I seem like the kind of person who just barges about telling people everything embarrassing about themselves in books and then pretending that it is ….hang on a minute. I’ve lost my grip.
Night night.

Why is the book called Withering Tights?
Because its an HILARIOUS play on ‘Wuthering Heights”, Do you see. And Cain Hinchliffe is Mr Darcy…oh no hang on a minute hes not in Wuthering heights is he? Is he? Oh I am so very very tired.