An interview with 'Storm Seal' author Sarah Ann Juckes

"My latest children’s book, Storm Seal, features a seal that may be familiar to followers of the Cornish Seal Sanctuary. 

In the book, 10-year-old Martha believes that her Nana’s stories about selkies may be true, and when Martha keeps seeing the same seal pup from her Nana’s fishing boat, she believes this seal may hold the key to escaping the storm of change she feels caught up in.

Liquorice the seal is based on a real seal that the Cornish Seal Sanctuary rescued and rehabilitated in early 2023. All grey seals are special to me, but there was something extra-special about this particular pup – she was ‘melanistic’ – meaning she was completely black from head-to-toe, something only seen in one-in-four-hundred grey seals.

When I was researching seals for this book, I was captivated by this beautiful and special seal and knew at once she deserved to be a character. It felt important to ensure that messages about how to keep real-life seals safe were at the heart of the story."

 

 

 

So many books for adults and children feature behaviour that in real life would be unsafe for both humans and seals, such as approaching them in a haul-out, or swimming with them in the sea.

In this book, the reader learns with Martha how stories are perhaps not the same as real-life and how everyone can play their part to keep our local wildlife safe.

Staying 100 meters away, keeping our voices down and avoiding playing with flying ring frisbees are all easy ways we can ensure seals like Liquorice can stay safe in the wild, where they belong.

Storm Seal’s illustrator, Sharon King-Chai, has done such a wonderful job of capturing Liquorice in the book and I do hope you enjoy reading about her adventures!

 

What is the story about?

Storm Seal is about a girl called Martha who is caught in a storm of change. Her cousins have moved away, her nana’s cough is getting worse and litter is plaguing the shores of the coastal town she lives in. When she meets a melanistic seal pup called Liquorice, Martha wonders if she holds the key to escaping.

The story is about change – including climate change – and the things young people can do to make a positive difference when they often feel so powerless in the face of it. It’s also a celebration of family, coastal communities and – of course – grey seals! 

 

What was your inspiration?

I was inspired by a research trip to Brixham where I stayed with female fisher, Sarah Ready. She introduced me to the wonders of coastal living, as well as the issues facing fishers. I also got to learn more about old ways of fishing from Dave French, who gave me a demonstration of withy crab pot weaving, and I got to meet some local seals with The Seal Project, who told me all about the things people can do to help these brilliant animals.

Liquorice – the seal in the book – was inspired by a real melanistic seal the Cornish Seal Sanctuary rescued in 2023. Although she was a grey seal, she was entirely black – and for me, she felt like a story come to life!

 

Who is your book for?

This is a middle grade book aimed at readers 9-11, but children in both Key Stage 2 and 3 should enjoy the read. Adults too! It’s particularly good if you want a summer holiday read set by the sea, and love animals – particularly seals.

 

What message do you hope readers take away from it?

I’d like young readers to feel a sense of empowerment from this book. Humans pose such a threat to wildlife, but that also means people of any age can make a positive impact to their lives, too. Staying 100 meters away from wild seals, keeping our voices down and taking our litter home with us can literally save seals’ lives. I hope that anyone reading this book comes away with a sense that they too can make a difference.

 

How long have you been a writer and how did you become one?

I wrote my first book when I was 16 years old, but I’ve been writing stories since I was a tot! When I was starting out, I wrote poetry, kept a diary, and tried my hand at a lot of fan fiction. It wasn’t until after university that I started thinking that I might be able to write books for a living, so I made an effort to write as much as I could around work – evenings, weekends, and even in my lunch breaks!

It took twelve years to get my first book published, but ‘Storm Seal’ is now my fifth published book and my stories have been translated into over thirteen languages. It took a lot of hard work, but it really is the best job in the world!

 

What do you love most about your job?

Story ideas come easily to me, so writing them into books feels like an exciting puzzle to solve. The thing I love most though is getting the opportunity to meet readers face-to-face. I love doing school events with children and talking about the issues in my books, from looking after our mental health, to how cool wildlife is! Children are so smart and often come up with the best ideas in my sessions. What a joy it is to share something I feel so passionate about with so many young people who could one day change the world.

 

What would you recommend aspiring writers do to become a published author?

Read! Pop down to your local library and read everything you can. It doesn’t matter if that’s fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels or even audiobooks – it will all help build your vocabulary and teach you how stories work. You should also try writing something every day if you can. I kept I diary from aged 10, but you might want to try a poem a day, or even just a few short lines. Writing is like any skill – practice really does help make perfect!

The key bit of advice I give to any aspiring author though is to never give up. There have been times in my career that I thought my dream might never happen. But by working hard, learning as much as you can and keeping going, I truly believe that you can do anything.

You can win a copy of Storm Seal, visit our Instagram page to enter!