Children’s author excited by interest in witch series for movie deal

Bestselling children’s author Derek Keilty has told of his excitement at the prospect that his popular Ivy Newt book series could be turned into a movie.

The Belfast writer will travel to the US this year to promote the series which tells the story of a little witch and her sidekick in an imaginary world.

Mr Keilty, who has written 17 children’s books, is now also preparing to pen his first novel for grown-ups.

As well as writing the books, the author is well known for his trips to primary schools across Northern Ireland and beyond where he puts on interactive shows and runs creative writing workshops for children.

He said: “When I was in P5 I had a wee bear and I used to write stories about him. I used to make them into wee books and do the cover and the blurb and the illustrations.

“I loved it, I used to bring them in and show them to my teacher.

“When I got bigger and I still liked doing that, my own twin girls were starting to bring home wee books, I remembered doing that and thought I’d have a go at writing.

“It was around 2000. I started sending off my stories and I was fortunate in 2003 I got my first book published Going Back Up The Beanstalk.

“I’ve had 17 books published now.”

The part-time civil servant’s books have sold around the world.

“Ivy is the first series I’ve had that has gone into the States so I am hopeful of good sales there.”

Mr Keilty will travel to New York to publicise the series. He also said he was excited about the potential of a movie deal.

Previously, the rights to his book Will Gallows and the Snake-Bellied Troll were bought by Sir Elton John’s film company Rocket Pictures, but the movie was not made.

He said: “There is a guy in the States who is looking at both Ivy and Will Gallows again. Will was looked at many years ago but never made it into a film.

“It is very difficult and it can take a long time but there is some interest in Ivy at the moment so hopefully that will pan out.”

He said: “After I published my first book I walked into a primary school and said ‘Would you be interested’ and it just grew from there.

“I try to make it interactive. There will be a lot of excitement from the kids. I like to give them not just a reading, but also a bit of a show, a bit of an event.

“I’ll start with a bit of background, I will do some voices, some impressions, cause I do voice-overs for some of my audio books, then I’ll say we’ll have a bit of magic, I’ll don my wizard’s outfit and I’ll do some disappearing bookmarks, we’ll have some tricks and then I’ll go on to the storytelling. It is variety, fun.

“If I can give the kids a spark into reading. You are hopefully grabbing them and getting them into being lifelong readers.”

Mr Keilty said he wanted to push himself writing his first book for grown-ups.

He said: “I won’t give up the children’s writing but I wanted to see if I could have a go at it. It will probably be fantasy, I do like world building.

“I haven’t really had that many ideas for a grown-up book over the years so I always go back to the children’s books, because they come so readily. I’ve given myself a tall order.

“I have also been commissioned for a new children’s series. She is called Olivia Shivers, a spectral agent. That will be a spooky one.

“I have some ideas beyond that too. I will stay busy.”