and grateful. It’s not an opportunity that’s afforded to every author, though there are hundreds of incredible books published right now that I would love to see adapted.
“I was very adamant from the beginning that the cast had to be heavily neurodivergent, and that all autistic characters be played by autistic actors. 9story and the BBC were extremely understanding of this, and it’s why we now have an Emmy nominated show. Because those neurodivergent actors, along with the cast and crew in general, are exceptional. I wrote on season one and now season two, and I’m secretly thrilled that the moments people love the most are from scenes I was determined to put in the scripts. But I was so lucky to work with our amazing showrunner, Anna McCleery.”
When A Kind of Spark transferred to television as a BBC children’s show, Elle was clear that she wanted autistic actors to play the autistic characters. She recognises that her writing has given her opportunities, saying: “I’m very fortunate
Elle has also set up her own award, the Adrien Prize, to “honour authors and publishers who write books with disabled main characters, in new and interesting ways. Our only narrative rule is that the character cannot die on the page. It’s sadly a common trope with disabled children’s books, and I think we need to see more nuanced portrayals.
“Aisha Bushby was our first winner, with the incredible A Flash of Fireflies, and the winners are always voted for by children.” Keedie has just been published by Knights Of, and a second series of A Kind Of Spark will be landing on screens soon. Elle says that she has a few other things out soon, including some short stories and a new book in October called Some Like It Cold – a YA romance novel from Macmillan. PEN&INC
Keedie was published on 4 April 2024 by Knights Of, £7.99 in paperback. Some Like it Cold will be published on 3 October 2024 by Macmillan Children’s Books.
Spring-Summer 2024
PEN&INC. 23
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