“Harriet has my hearing loss.” Meet: Samantha Baines, author of children’s book Harriet Versus the Galaxy

Buy Harriet Versus the Galaxy via Amazon here.

Congratulations on the book! What was the inspiration for the character of Harriet?

Thank you! Harriet is a little bit of me, for example she has my one-sided hearing loss and hearing aid but she’s much braver than me.

Harriet is an adventurer and she is inspired by all the children with hearing loss and deafness who are wonderful and deserve to have stories written about them.

What are the biggest challenges of writing a children’s book?

All of it is a challenge but a fun one! Making sure the jokes translate was a big challenge. When I write jokes for stand up I can test them on an audience but books don’t work like that.

I love seeing children giggling when they are reading my book!

What has the response been like?

The response has been amazing. Several parents have told me that their children have asked to read the book again as soon as they finish it which makes me so happy.

I met a little girl with a hearing aid and her face lit up when she talked about Harriet having a hearing aid as she’d never seen someone like her in a book before so that was pretty awesome.

Will there be more instalments of Harriet?

I have lots more ideas so if people want more I can definitely write them. Harriet has so many more adventures to go on.

Tell us more about your work. You’re an actor, writer, comedian. How do you switch between each discipline? 

Yes I do a lot! I love being able to do different things and I find that they all feed into one another and being creative generally. I get to meet so many inspiring people in so many different fields which is one of my favourite parts of what I do.

I’m currently hosting Magic Mike Live in the West End directed by Channing Tatum and writing children’s books and presenting on BBC Radio London so I keep busy. I’ve also got really into knitting scarves recently so that’s what I do to relax.

Buy Harriet Versus the Galaxy via Amazon here.

Interview by Charlie Swinbourne. [Fair disclosure: Charlie was an editor giving advice on the book – and his children also chipped in with their take on it too!]