Introducing… John Gilmore

Today meet John Gilmore, another of our wonderful 2025 cohort.

Dive into the wildly inventive world of John Gilmore. Inspired by a childhood of dens, treehouses, and his grandparents’ storytelling, he writes funny rhyming picture books, chapter books, and humorous adventures for lower middle-grade readers. His stories feature larger-than-life characters, oddball situations, and a playful mix of the absurd and heartfelt. Having experienced two round-the-world backpacking trips, John draws on campfire tales, a love of nature, and a commitment to protecting the environment, often adding folkloric and eco-conscious twists to his work.

What is your writing routine?

Currently with a full time ‘day job’ it’s not overly routine. I often write in spare moments in the evenings after work — often working on ideas from little notes made through the day (both typed and voice notes on my phone). 

When I am able to dedicate a day to writing I usually have big plans but in reality, it often goes like this:

1. Morning coffee and toast.

2. Procrastinate…

3. Take the dog out for a pee and poop (him not me).

4. Tea and chocolate hob nobs (me not him).

5. More procrastination…

6. Walk aforementioned dog.

7. Even more procrastination…

8. Inspiration! (phew).

9. Pantser out a ream of ideas for hours on end.

10. Review and edit late into the evening (fuelled by nibbles and perhaps a celebratory glass of wine or an elderberry and pear tea). 

Who is your favorite author and how have they inspired you? 

As a boy growing up in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s it was all about Roald Dahl. I think his irreverent inventiveness and eccentric characters and imaginative plots just struck a chord with me. I love wordplay and rhyming verse which he mastered — Revolting Rhymes was just delicious. His narrative voice was so alluring and really ‘spellbinding’ (shameless anthology plug). I think his absurd imagination and love of comedic rhyme has filtered into my work, albeit with a kinder more sensitive narrative voice for today’s young reader.

What was the inspiration for your manuscript? 

I started with a character, and everything evolved from there.

Many years before the MA I came up with the name Quentin Peanut. I decided he should actually have a head shaped like a peanut… everything just expanded from there… The name embodied a 1920’s aristocrat, and of course he should have a cat-butler, so Montague Le Bigpuss was born.

They had an eccentric Holmes and Watson vibe in my mind, thus they naturally became a detective duo. Given the aristocratic notion, they fitted into the 1920’s and the concept of investigating famous historical crimes around that era. Then I thought, what if they could go anywhere in history to do it… and solve mistakes made in the original investigations — the Crime Scene Time Machine was born. A Paris trip had seeded the 1911 Mona Lisa theft in my mind as their first case — within a Pink Panther-esque plot. The story fizzed away until I eventually started the MA.

Not long into the course I realised the story needed tweaking to include a child protagonist and Ziggy came along. Being an uncle myself, it felt natural to make him Quentin’s similarly peanut-headed nephew. It soon became apparent how much fun I was going to have writing these characters and their story, so it felt right to choose it as my manuscript. 

I’ve already mentioned Holmes and Watson and The Pink Panther, and I do think some of my manuscript inspirations are quite filmic and cinematic: 

Jeeves and Wooster.

Mission impossible.

Dr Who.

The Muppets.

Mr Benn.

Kingsman.

The Avengers.

Who is your favourite character in your book?

I love my protagonist Ziggy and his character arc, but I think I have an extra-soft spot for Quentin Peanut (Uncle Quentin). He’s as daft as a broke hamster applying for 99% fixed rate mortgage — but with a kind heart. Dare I say it, he’s basically a much slimmer, exaggerated and erudite version of me… so I kinda have to like him.

What inspires you first: character or plot? 

I often get conceptual inspiration first – an overarching idea for a character who does something unique. But then it is that character that really drives things, and their naming is often a key factor to unlocking their personality and wants and needs. Their world and story evolves from there.

Describe your perfect day.

• A flask of coffee and a soft summer dawn, out flyfishing in my wee boat on the lough dreaming up tall tales and adventures. 

• Followed by a few hours back in my cosy writing den pottering away.

• Then an afternoon picnic, paddle and book read at the beach with my partner and little bulldog Basil.

• Finished off at home, with friends and family. An evening around the table in front of the log burning stove — playing Jenga and Uno with tapas and a nice glass of Malbec.