Congratulations on being Shortlisted for the Carnegie prize, who told you and what was your immediate response when you found out?  (we can star swears if it was a swear!)

I found out through an email from my publisher, Bonnier Books. I think my response was silent, but I stood up at my desk with my mouth hanging open for a while. I may have let out a quiet “Whaaaaaaa?” at some point. It was absolutely the best kind of shock.

Popcorn is both heartfelt and hilarious, what do you hope young readers take from it most?

I hope it helps kids with anxiety feel more seen and helps friends and family understand their loved ones a bit better. I also help it offers some tips for how to deal with anxiety but in a fun, entertaining way. It’s a tough thing to find the funny in that fear and worrying, but having dealt with it for years and years I knew it was in there.

Your story shines a light on something loads of people experience but equally some people will never really truly know the intensity of.  What did you call on to realistically represent anxiety and panic attacks in Popcorn?

Well, unfortunately I called on my own experiences with both anxiety and panic attacks. Hopefully, through Andrew’s rising tension on this horrible day, it relays some of that feeling to the reader. Panic attacks turn out to be a really hard thing to describe. They’re so all-consuming and overwhelming. Thankfully I was able to use illustration to try to capture some of that intensity.

Popcorn really emphasis how emotions can build, grow and consume.  Difficult I know but what three words would you use to describe the hardest part of managing emotions as a human?

Interesting question. The three words that come to mind are: Capacity – as in trying to build in yourself the capacity to hold all of the emotions that come along. Sharing – I think it’s so hard, but so important to share with a trusted person what you’re dealing with. And Breathing – There’s a reason why we describe some emotions as a “punch in the gut”. They can take your breath away. I think that’s why focusing on something as simple as breathing can get you back to level ground.

Andrew’s story in Popcorn is the kind of story that really sticks with a reader long after they have turned the final page.  What’s one book you read as a child or young adult that has stayed with you into adulthood?

While it’s dark, Lord of the Flies made a huge impact on me. It was one of the first books I read that had real complexity and ugliness in the emotions. It was intense and upsetting, but reading it made me realize how much a book can affect you and stay with you.

What is the Best Bit and the Worst Bit about writing a book.  And what is one Random Rest bit (which has not positive or negative assigned to it rather it is an interesting piece of information) about writing this book in particular?

Best bit: I’ll say the best bit is getting the first draft out. I try to get it down as quickly as possible, just letting it flow out without worrying about if it’s perfect or even good. To me it’s like throwing down a huge lump of clay that you can then start to work with. Remove parts, move parts, change parts. But that first rush of getting it out is when I feel the freest.

Worst bit: The worst part is when I get stuck and realize I need to scrap a huge chunk of the story. I feel protective of what I’ve written, but sometimes you realize that a chapter you love needs to go for the story to work.

Random Rest bit: The Rest Bit is that I 100% based the art teacher (Mr. Ackerman – I changed his name just a bit) on my own middle school teacher. He moved on to teach at the high school the same year I started there as well. He was such a huge influence on me, a larger-than-life kind of guy, and the person I credit with helping to unlock my creativity. Thank you, Mr. Ackerson!

~

Many thanks to Rob for answering our questions and a huge congratulations on Popcorn being shortlisted for the 2026 Carnegie Award for Writing.  The Winner and the Shadowers’ Choice Winner will be announced on June 23rd and voting is now open for schools doing Shadowing to cast their votes.  You can find out more about Popcorn in our Class Reads Summer promo or by using the link below.