Interview with Author Vikki Marmaras (Random Acts of Cakeness)

What made you want to be an author?

Writing a book has been something I have wanted to do for as long as I can remember, but it was only when my first son was born that I realized I could make my dream come true by writing children’s books.

How did you get started / How did you get started in children’s books?

When my son was born, I wanted to make something for him, so I wrote him a story. Since then, I haven’t been able to stop writing and both of my children are constantly giving me inspiration. As well as having ideas and motivation though, I also needed to learn the craft of writing children’s books, so I took a course with the Australian Writer’s Centre. I also spent a lot of time listening to KidLit podcasts, learning from online writing forums and, of course, reading lots of books to see how it’s done well!

What is your advice for a beginning writer?

There are so many tips that I would like to share, but I think the most important one would be to learn as much as you can. Some people think it’s easy to write for children, but there are so many nuances to it and without knowing the rules, it’s very difficult to get it right.

Find a group of people who you trust and who can give you honest opinions on the stories you are creating. Feedback is absolutely invaluable, even if it’s sometimes hard to hear.

Next, I would say never to give up. It can be a hard industry, with lots of rejection, but if you really want to make it happen, you need to learn to take the rough with the smooth and push through the tough times.

Lastly, make sure you are having fun with it. Writing for children is such a joyous thing, and the KidLit community is filled with incredible, talented, kind people. If you focus on that, and on creating fabulous stories, it’ll be a wonderful journey!

What was the strongest influence you had when you were growing up (books, series, graphic novels, comics)?

The author I remember reading the most when I was young is Roald Dahl. I had so many of his books on my shelves, and I still have a lot of my childhood copies. My kids really enjoy his books too, which shows how well his characters and stories have stood the test of time.

I also remember reading a lot of Shirley Hughes and Janet and Allan Ahlberg books – all British classics!

What’s your favorite thing to write about?

I write about so many different things and love to experiment with quirky styles and characters. It won’t surprise you to know that I enjoy writing about food, and I also like to gently highlight diversity and individuality in my stories too. The other area I am passionate about is sustainability, so I have a few environmental stories. Mainly though, it’s just whatever comes into my head!

When you’re writing, do you prefer using a keyboard or pen and paper?

Great question – this is something I think about a lot! I do a lot of writing on my phone, as it’s usually nearby and very handy to capture ideas which come to me on the fly. Recently though I’ve started using a notebook and pen, so that I can sit on the sofa with my kids and write, without feeling like my eyes are always glued to a screen! I like the idea of building a library of notebooks filled with my scribbles, which I can look back on and laugh at in a few years!

What was it like writing Random Acts of Cakeness?

It was fun! I started off with the title and built the story from there. It took me a few different drafts before I knew which way the story was going to go. I really wanted a story which highlighted that we can be kind for no particular reason – and also that being kind is something we can do without needing to receive praise or recognition. I also wanted to create a story which featured diverse characters and, of course, had heaps of potential for bright, mouthwatering illustrations!

What is your favorite page?

They’re all fantastic – Isabelle has done an amazing job. I really like the page which shows Arun baking all the different cakes, because it’s so colorful and Arun’s facial expressions are wonderful. Then there’s the page towards the end where Arun’s friends have helped him out with the baking. I really like the line ‘it seemed like cake had fallen from the sky’ and this is also a nice moment in the book, where you realize things are going to be ok.

Do you like to bake or is there another hobby that you like?

I love to bake and have lots of memories of making cakes when I was younger with my mum, my granny, and my friends. Now I love making birthday cakes for my family’s birthdays (which do not always go well!) and I also love making cupcakes with my son. What’s even better than making the cakes though, is eating them and sharing them with friends.

The biggest bake I’ve ever done was probably my wedding cake – which was a three-tier carrot cake. My go-to decoration is lots of butter cream and then some cute decorations on top. Yum!

What’s your favorite sweet treat?

Oh gosh, I have so many! I obviously love carrot cake, but I also like lemon slice and Simnel cake at Easter. As the saying goes, I’ve rarely met a cake I didn’t like!