LAURA: Yeah, that's good. Thank you. And finally, when you're writing, do you ever read the words out loud to see how it sounds? And do you think it's important to use lots of EXPRESSION when reading out LOUD?! MARTA: And then we're gonna go – just not to get lost in it a bit too much, we go a little bit on one side...a little bit on the other.

I wanted to create something that really captured the true spirit of breakfast club. Outside of making sure we got the best start to our days with cereal, toast and juice, it was where my friendships were made. Where we could just lose ourselves. A safe haven,” said Rashford. “Breakfast club was where some of my greatest memories were formed, where we talked about our dreams and where adventures were planned, and it was important for me that we captured that in my first fiction book. Alex is a great writer who is able to capture that brilliantly and I’m thrilled that he’s on this journey with me.” MARTA: A bit of a half a broccoli, indeed. And then we do the same on the other side, keeping in mind we don't wanna go over the ear too much. ALEX: Mm-hmm, yeah. The thing that I always think about is, um, for getting my main character, um, to think about what are the things that they want and to um-, and to kind of show them trying to get that. Um, when you have a main character and you have a thing that they want, you immediately have, I think, a little bit of tension, which I think can really add to the mystery, um, and to the suspense of a chapter.

Breakfast Club guaranteed I had the best possible start to my day and welcomed me with open arms. It wasn't just about food. It was about forming friendships, about togetherness, about escape. It was where some of my greatest memories were made. I want to capture that feeling in my debut fiction book.' - Marcus Rashford MBE About This Edition ISBN: MARTA: Little lines underneath, because he's smiling, and when we smile we've got these little lines. And last but not least...

MARTA: Exactly. And when you do both sides at the same time it's easy to find your way. Now we're gonna do the bottom...part. LAURA: Hmm. We've got some questions about writing and illustrating books, but all we need is a writer and an illustrator. Ah! Marta! Alex! Perfect! LAURA: Excellent. OK. OK, Alex, I've got one for you here. As a writer, how do you create a sense of suspense and mystery in an opening chapter? I mean, you know, you wanna keep the readers wanting to read more, right?MARTA: Oh my goodness. Er, they add massively, I think. 'Cause obviously the text is one thing but then the illustrations just basically expand, I think, the story. So, er, you illustrate what is in a story but also maybe what isn't, to a degree. So maybe, you know, some things aren't quite said in a text but you can add them, um, expand, basically. Don't miss the Breakfast Club Investigators next adventure in The Breakfast Club Adventures: The Ghoul in the School!

OK, Marta, I've got another one for you here. How do you think illustrations add to the experience for the reader? MARTA: That's right. And it's a nice way because when you're using a pen like s- like this one you can't rub it off. So you just draw the line in there. Thank you so much. If you've drawn Marcus Rashford then send it in because we want to have a look. Thank you, Marta and Alex, for joining us in Book Club! LAURA: –Yeah, that's a good-, that's a good tip. OK, Marta, this one's for you. As an illustrator, how do you decide what you're going to draw in a book? ALEX: Well, um, this is the type of thing where we kind of do-, it's all a real team effort. So we have loads of book designers who, um, look really hard at the text and think about what are the type of things which, um, are words that can catch the audience's eye. Um, and they kind of help, er, put that all together.MARTA: Little circles for the- for the pupils. We can add a little bit more definition on the top of the eye for, well, a bit of, er, lashes. ALEX: So the first thing I think about is what do I want the setting to do in- as part of the story? Um, how do I want this place to feel? Um, how do I want the audience to feel about it? And then when you can go from there, when you know what you want, um, you-, how you want the place to feel, then you- you go through your senses. Think about your smell, um, the things you can hear, the things you can see. And then just really go through there, and, um, and using that you can really craft a- a setting. LAURA: Yeah. OK, Alex, another one for you. Do you have any tips for writing setting descriptions? How do you set the scene?