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Swapna Haddow has been writing books since she was eight years old!  Her series Dave Pigeon has been with her for over a decade and with the publication of Dave VS Dave is drawing to an end.  She has answered some questions for us about the series…

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Dave’s my brother’s name, did you have someone in mind when naming him? 

I didn’t! But all the Daves I’ve ever heard of have been a perfect combination of brilliant and daft which made it the perfect name for a pigeon.

When you started Dave’s journey in 2016 (possibly earlier?) did you envisage it lasting this long and how strange is it farewelling him in Dave VS Dave?

I wrote the story in 2014, and I had no idea what readers would think. Dave Pigeon fans are the BEST fans in the world. They write the most awesome pigeon fan fiction, create the most brilliant pigeon costumes for book celebration days and they draw and write the most wonderful letters. I feel very chuffed that Dave and Skipper have been loved by readers as much as I have loved them.

The final book in the series is my love letter to the fans. There are heaps of easter eggs in there for fans who have been with Dave since the very first and lots of laughs for those who might be meeting Dave for the first time. It feels like the perfect ending for the series and whilst I won’t be writing Dave Pigeon stories for a while and I will miss the world of Dave, I have lots of exciting projects on the go to keep me busy.

Why did you choose a pigeon?  How do Aotearoa NZ pigeons (kererū) differ from UK ones?

I used to live in London and there were pigeons EVERYWHERE! It was hard not to be inspired by them as I saw them out of my window every morning.

The kererū in Aotearoa are a bit different to the pigeons in the UK, for starters you don’t seem them flock to the city in the way UK pigeons do. Kererū tend to be seen in woodland, forests and gardens. They look different too – a kererū basically looks like a UK pigeon if a UK pigeon had been to the gym for a year.

Do you have a friend like Skipper who will join your masterful (possibly croissant) plans?  Can you share one such plan?

My partner-in-mischief is also my partner-in-life. My husband is my best pal and he’s always in on my plans. We’ve just come back from swimming at the Great Barrier Reef and our next adventure is going to be to Greece. We’ve been competing on Duolingo to learn the most Greek before the holiday – hopefully I’ll know the Greek for ‘croissant’ before we get on the plane.

Funny illustrated stories are great for recently independent readers, why were you drawn to this format and age bracket?

I think this age group is the one we want to get hooked on reading. Reading changed my life and opened up the world to me, so I want to give that back to young readers because once you are hooked on reading, the world is yours!

This is the age group that has just gained the superpower of reading, so they need super-funny and super-awesome books and I hope some of mine fit that category.

What’s been your favourite of Dave’s adventures to write?  Are they based in any reality (character or situation)?

I’m not sure if I could pick just one but I really loved when Dave and Mean Cat formed something of a truce in Dave Pigeon (Kittens!). They are both my favourite characters, so it was brilliant to bring them on to the same side momentarily.

Though none of the stories are based on reality, I do a lot of research for the books. I visited some pigeon racers for Dave Pigeon (Racer!) and visited Buckingham Palace and read heaps of books about the history of royal pigeons for Dave Pigeon (Royal Coo!) and, well, just ate a lot of Halloween sweeties for Dave Pigeon (Zombie!).

Has farewelling Dave left a gap for a new character and series for kids to love?

Absolutely! Of course, there is the Bad Panda series to catch up on, but I also have a brand-new graphic novel series called The Terrible Trio, which is illustrated by Minky Stapleton, and that is perfect for readers who love funny stories, superhero stories and animal stories. It features a zebra, a penguin and a lemur who all find themselves with the worst superhero powers in the world.