Julie Pike is a children’s author who grew up in Neath, and was inspired by the beauty of the area to write her own magical adventure stories.
Read on to discover her favourite things about Neath Port Talbot, and how closely interwoven the area is in her stories.
“Neath Library inspired me to write. I used to visit once a week for about 15 years with my mother, and we would leave with a stack of books each.
Neath let me have lots of adventures. I’ve been up to the top of Drummau Mountain, I’ve walked along the dram roads, and I’ve played along the River Neath. So I had lots of adventures, like in my books, but there was no magic!
I thought, if I want to carry on having magical adventures, I’ve got to write my own. So that’s what I did.
My favourite things about Neath Port Talbot are Neath Library, the Neath Abbey Ruins, Aberavon Beach, Neath Castle, and the river. All of these things turn up in my stories, so keep an eye out!
I’ve always wanted to be a writer, and so when I got into my forties, I decided that now is the time. And look – I got published! I have a book coming out this June called ‘Flame Chasers’ and a book coming out next year called ‘The Water Whisperers’.
The first person I called when I heard that I was getting published was my Mam, who inspired my love of reading, and she said, “I thought things like this didn’t happen to people like us.” – she meant people from the valleys.
And I said, “Turns out they do!”.