To end our week long blog takeover celebrating the publication of The Mab, we are delighted to host an interview with author and the inaugural postholder for the Children's Laureate Wales, Eloise Williams.

Do you remember reading the Mabinogi when you were a kid?

No. Not at all. I think we may have done something to do with King Arthur at some point but there wasn’t a specific reference to Wales. I grew up in Llantrisant in Rhondda Cynon Taff, was a voracious reader, lived opposite a library and took home stacks of books all the time. It seems so strange that I didn’t know anything about these stories. I’m hopeful that The Mab will change this situation for lots of young people.

Why do you think stories are important?

They give us an insight to our ancestors. How they lived, their values, what they thought was important. It turns out that the things which mattered to them are still common themes in our lives today. Love, grief, fortune, war, friendship, the wisdom of listening to animals and nature, the way life can turn on a penny. Stories are such an important part of keeping the voices of the people alive. I hope that these stories will be a celebration of past and present and that they’ll be told in new voices in the future too.

Why did you want to retell the story of Blodeuwydd?

Blodeuwedd, like so many of the women of The Mab, is such an interesting character. A woman, conjured entirely from flowers by a magician because a cursed man wants a wife will surely have a lot to say about her situation? It was really interesting to explore her actions and the consequences of them in the ancient landscape they were originally set in but with 21^st Century sensibilities. She’s inventive, cunning and manipulative, and why shouldn’t she be? She is taken from the freedom of her existence and forced into a life she doesn’t want. The extent to which she takes things to escape that life are murderous and I don’t want to give too much away, but they involve a bath and a goat.

What are some of your favourite bits from The Mab?

There are so many wonderful moments. Creepy bits and weird bits. Moving storylines and belly laughs. Nothing is as expected. The stories are surprising and strange and completely unpredictable! I like so many things about each of the stories and find something new in them with every reading. My favourite bits change daily.

Was there anything about the process of creating The Mab that you think has had a lasting effect on you?

Yes. Working collaboratively has been a joy. I’ve learned such a lot from creating The Mab with Matt Brown. He is just brilliantly calm and focussed, where I am more tempestuous and impulsive. He has a unique style of comedy and is such a generous and hardworking person to collaborate with. Writing can be a very solitary career, and it has been really fantastic to have someone there to bounce ideas off. The whole process has been truly amazing. It has opened my eyes to a whole new world of possibilities.

A big thank you to Eloise Williams for the incredible interview.  Special thanks too, to Max Low, illustrator of the The Mab for use of its brilliant cover.