Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in London in 1963 and have lived and worked in London, UK: Sri Lanka: UAE and Bahrain. Currently I live in Johannesburg, South Africa with my three dogs and two housemates.
I have taught in a Primary School and was a Scout/Cub Leader for over 20 years. This I feel was a very good grounding for what Middle Grade Readers enjoy reading about.
Polly’s Piralympics is the seventh children’s book I have written.
Other books include: How Polly Became a Pirate and Polly Ya Nay Can Fly also part of the Polly’s Piralympics series.
The Magic Vuvuzela (re: soccer and South Africa) and Peter’s Wimbledon Dreams (re: tennis and the UK) both self-published through Amazon.
Tane’s Rugby Dream (re: Rugby and New Zealand) and Cricket Crazy (re: cricket and Sri Lanka) and as yet unpublished.
I have also written over 100 poems published on the voicesnet.com website under Jan Weeratunga.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Polly’s Piralympics
It was inspired by the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Paralympic Games. In his closing speech, Sir Phillip Craven told of how a young boy was reading with his mother. In the book he saw a man with an eye patch, a hook for a hand, a parrot on his shoulder and a wooden leg. When asked who it was, he said:
“Well he has only one leg, so he must be an Olympian.”
Such was the strength of the London 2012 Paralympics that it changed peoples’ perceptions of disability forever. The speech made her both laugh and cry and gave her the inspiration for this series of books which are both unique in concept as well as content.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No not really, I just love to write, though I usually like it to be quiet when I am writing, other than the birds singing and my dogs playing/barking.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
J R R Tolkien
I used to escape into Middle Earth as a child and it all became so real for me, the elves, dwarfs, hobbits, dragon, magic everything, I was lost to it all.
What are you working on now?
The 4th book in the Series of Polly’s Piralympics – Polly’s Eskimo Piralympics
The Pirates find themselves in the Eskimo world of snow and ice, where they take part in Eskimo Games and in some cases get more than they bargained for.
It also introduces two female pirate ships to the mix, with some interesting results.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
everything and anything, but to date Facebook – friends spread the message the best as they have a vested interest – they know me ha,ha,ha.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. No matter what it’s about, write and don’t be discouraged by what other have to say, yes they are entitled to their opinion, but it is just that – their opinion. It is yours that really counts.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
That the greatest authors in the world have also been rejected by publishers, so I am in good company, ha,ha,ha. Now I belong to a very special clun called the Indie Authors and we are taking the world by storm!
What are you reading now?
The Labyrinth
What’s next for you as a writer?
To finish the series Polly’s Piralympics, which I originally thought would be five books, but is up to seven to date and if my promoter at SkOObs books store has anything to say about it will be even longer, ha,ha,ha.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Lord of the Rings
The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes
The Blue Planet
Author Websites and Profiles
Jann Weeratunga Website
Jann Weeratunga Amazon Profile
Jann Weeratunga’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile