Behind the scenes of our JONNIE ROCKET COMIC with author John Chapman

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Published on Sunday, 27 July 2014 19:00

Last Updated on 17 July 2014

Monica Costa

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Now that we are at the last installment of Comic Jonnie Rocket that London Mums magazine has been publishing exclusively in the last 4 issues, I chatted to the creative mind of its creator. You can read all comics in our exclusive series in our magazine archive here.

Q: Where do you draw inspiration for your books from?

JC: I drew my inspiration for the creation of the character of ‘Jonnie Rocket’ from my childhood experiences. I’m dyslexic, but unfortunately this wasn’t diagnosed until much later in my life; as a consequence my school years were very difficult.  My only escapism at that time was riding my bicycle and staring up into the sky at the stars, thinking: ‘I can’t wait for my school days to be over – as there must be something better out there!’ I then put these two concepts together, the bike and the stars and created ‘Jonnie Rocket’.

 

As a result of my childhood experiences, I was absolutely determined to try and help other young people today, so they wouldn’t suffer like I did.  The ethos of Jonnie Rocket therefore focuses on giving young people self-belief and confidence.

With this in mind it’s very easy to find good educational, moral and spiritual messages to include in my stories. However, I always make sure that each of Jonnie’s adventures is told in an exciting and entertaining way, to capture the imagination of young people.  I’ve published 4 books to date and plan to write 12 altogether in the series.

Q: Have you always dreamt of being an author?

JC:  No, definitely not!  In fact, prior to setting up Jonnie Rocket Ltd. in 2009 I was a Project Manager within the Construction Industry.  Becoming an author was just a natural process, following the creation of my character.  This enabled me to try and fulfil my ambition of really making a difference to young people’s lives, in a positive way.

Q: Are there any other children’s book authors that you particularly admire?

JC:  There are so many good children’s authors out there doing wonderful work; but if you pinned me down I would have to say Beatrix Potter, AA Milne and Herman van Veen, the creator of Alfred the Kwak.

Q: Tell us all about your experience as an actor in ‘Star Wars’…

 

JC:  Wonderful!  I feel very privileged to have been part of this iconic movie.  Working with George Lucas, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford was an amazing experience and one to be treasured.

Q: Do you think characters such as Jonnie Rocket are figures kids can relate to?

JC:  I believe so.  Over the last few years I’ve been working with primary schools delivering various workshops – and I’m really pleased to say the feedback I’ve received from the young people has been very encouraging – and certainly inspires me to keep going.