Do your DC have a question for Cressida Cowell? Join our webchat on Saturday 26 September, 10:30am

[TinaMumsnet]

We're very pleased to announce that Cressida Cowell will be joining us for a webchat on Saturday 26 September at 10:30am.

Cressida Cowell's How To Train Your Dragon series made has her a household name. Her scratchy, vivid illustrations, mischievous humour, support of the underdog and crazy plotlines have enthralled young readers across the land. As well as being a global bestseller, it also inspired the Dreamworks film franchise of the same name: the second movie, How To Train Your Dragon 2, came out last year, and was a box office smash. Somehow, she's also found the time to continue her work for the National Literacy Trust (NLT), the Children's Media Foundation (CMF) and The Reading Agency.

This month, she brings the series to an end in How to Fight a Dragon's Fury, the 12th and final adventure for Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III.

On Saturday 3 October Cressida will be joining a glittering line-up of authors at the Telegraph Bath Children's Literature Festival, which runs for 10 days from Friday 25 September (visit the website for further information).

Do you or your DC have a question for Cressida? Join us for the webchat or if you can't make it post your question on the thread below.

Photo by Debra Hurford Brown.

@WhiskeyTangofoxtrot

My two DSes (age 7 and 4, nearly 5) adore your books - they went to school as Hiccup and Toothless for World Book Day.

DS1's Question to you is "how did you come up with inspiration for dragons and vikings to live together?"

hi there WhiskeyTangofoxtrot, love to your DSes I bet they looked great as Hiccup and Toothless.

The answer to your question is quite a LONG one, you can find this out on my website, or the httydbooks website, because its an autobiographical answer (also, Vikings really thought that dragons existed, so I thought, what if the Vikings were right?)

Just 5 minutes of our webchat left, thought I would post a couple of questions before you go:

How many dragons is "too many" for one household?"

How did you come up with inspiration for dragons and vikings to live together?

Thanks for replying - they did look great as Hiccup and Toothless
Will take a look on the hyytd books -

@stealthsquiggle

OK - I asked them - the consensus question was "how many dragons is "too many" for one household?"

(Hint: one adult human member of the household seems to think that the current number (about 30 at last count) could be considered, if not too many, then definitely enough. The dragons and the DC don't agree....)

hi there stealthsquiggle, you can NEVER have too many dragons in my humble opinion...either in the house, or in the world.

@Lisa2505

Hi Cressida, You met my mum last week at the book signing in Cambridge- she was the one who laughed when you had trouble with the lift in Watersones! Thank you for signing the book for my son Fred, I was disappointed that she hadn't got my name in too as I'm just as big a fan as Fred! He was over the moon and thought it was awesome. His question is: How long does it take you to write a Dragon book? P.S. Please let there be some spin off books from this series as I don't know what we'll do without Hiccup and Toothless in our lives!! Lisa

hi there Lisa2505, love to Fred, and it takes me a year to write and illustrate a Dragon book

Thanks Cressida, that made DD laugh!

Thank you, Cressida - next time DH tries to impose dragon immigration limits, we will be ready with the killer argument of "but Cressida Cowell says...." (although we really don't have room for many more of the giganticusmaximus of the cuddly dragon world, who is very lovely but 4ft tall and not slim....)

@KewMum

I've heard it said that girls will read books with boys as the main characters, but boys are less likely to read books with girls as the main character. Have you considered a different book (series) with a girl as the main character.

In There's no such thing as a Ghostie (not a Hiccup book) there appear to be footsteps made by the ghost (making everyone turn around) but then at the end of the book a football goes through the ghost (thus, how would there be footstep sounds). I told my 6 year old that this must have been the difference between the illustrator and the author.

hi there KewMum, I'm not sure that this is true that boys won't read books with girls as the main character e.g. Hunger Games, Philip Pullman's Dark Materials are read by loads of boys. I have nearly equal numbers of boys and girls reading httyd and many boys say Camicazi is their favourite character.

I would certainly consider writing a series with a girl as the main character (my picture book series stars Emily Brown).

But at the moment I think the series I'm going to do next will have a girl and a boy equally as main characters (I don't want to give anything away about what it is!!)

@Chippednailvarnish

Question from my DS;

Hi Cressida, I just wanted to know how you got the idea for Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III? And can you come and visit my school?

Thanks!

hi there Chippednailvarnish

You can find out the answer to this question on my website (it's a long answer). Your school should write to my publicist, because she arranges all school visits for me, her email is [email protected]

@TinaMumsnet

Just 5 minutes of our webchat left, thought I would post a couple of questions before you go:

How many dragons is "too many" for one household?"

How did you come up with inspiration for dragons and vikings to live together?

Thanks for having me, you can never have too many dragons, and Vikings believed that dragons really existed...and perhaps they were right?

Thanks, DS will get writing!

Goodbye everyone, thank you so much to all of you who posted questions...I hope I answered most of them...
I think the most important thing to say is, although How to Fight a Dragon's Fury is the last book in the series, this is not The End, and I WILL write more books set in the httyd world, as well as a brand new series that I am extremely excited about (but I'm not allowed to tell you about yet - tricky because I'm REALLY bad about keeping secrets...)

XCELLENT DREAMTROOS (best wishes in Dragonese) to all, THANKEE (thankyou) to mumsnet for having me on the website, and

see you all soon

love
Cressida

@Alfieisnoisy

Thank you for a fantastic series of books. They have been my son's chosen audiobook at bedtime for a long time (with occasional breaks for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).

My only question is how much say you had over the films. I struggled to enjoy them as I have been so spoilt by David Tennant's reading of the books. I couldn't cope with the changes the film made to the books....but guess I should enjoy them as separate entity.

Currently my son's favourite book is "How to Speak Dragonese", he is autistic so this has been the nightly choice for some months. His favourite line being "a Slitherfang in the knickers is no laughing matter", always greeted with gales of laughter:

Thank you again for an amazing series of books.

hi Alfieisnoisy I am so glad your son likes the books so much, and the Slitherfang in the knickers...

The film people are actually very friendly and collaborative - many changes had to be made because I wasn't writing the books with the idea that they would be made into films. For example: it takes four years to make every film, so they couldn't make TWELVE films or we'd all be 80 by the time they'd finished...the Dragon-riding in the books doesn't take place until book 6, but if you're making a film about dragons in 3D you sort of want your Heroes to be able to ride on the back of dragons from the v first film...the Dragonese didn't work because you'd have to have subtitles and the very little kids can't read...

Send my love to your son x

THANKEE to to you too Cressida, we've loved having you with us this morning. We look forward to reading about new worlds and anticipate more HTTYD adventures in the future. Hopefully you'll join us again soon!

Thanks to all who posted questions too, we hope you enjoyed the answers as much as we did!

If Hiccup came to your house for dinner, what would you serve that your family would also be happy to eat?

Xcellent dreamtroos and thankee to you too Cressida, from DD and me!

Thank you, Cressida!

Thank you for answering my question Cressida and for your good wishes for my son. He's over the moon that you sent those good wishes and it's made his day.

So bedtime beckons tonight with more Dragonese and hilarity over the "Slitherfang" line.

Me, I am off to get the final book tomorrow and will be reading it with DS. We are dying to know what happens to Toothless and why Hiccup never mentions him as an old man.

Thank you once again for a fantastic series of books.

Thank you for answer my sons question he was well chuffed :)