Books By Ross MacKenzie - Author

Ross MacKenzie has been writing stories since he was seven years old, when he created an illustrated short story about a hungry crocodile named Crunchy Colin in a smuggled school jotter. His novel The Nowhere Emporium won the Blue Peter Best Story Award and the Scottish Children’s Book Award. He is also the winner of the Scottish Teenage Book Prize 2021. He now splits his time between writing, his day job as a graphic designer and his wife, daughters and cocker spaniel, with whom he lives near Glasgow.

A Q&A with Ross about his novel The Nowhere Emporium

Where did your inspiration for The Nowhere Emporium come from?

It’s a bit mysterious, actually! The Emporium sort of popped into my head fully formed. I could see this strange old shop so clearly in my head, the sparkling black brick and the faded sign. I knew the shop never stayed in one place for very long, and of course I had to find out why, so I wrote the story.

What is your favourite room in the Nowhere Emporium? 

Actually, my favourite place in the entire Emporium is the shop-front where Daniel first meets Mr Silver. It’s dim and dusty and mysterious, filled with so many treasures and curiosities. I could spend days looking around! 

What would you write in the Book of Wonders? 

I’d have a library with every story ever written waiting on the shelves for me. But it would be a library with a twist: I’d be able to meet the characters from my favourite books face to face!
Actually, on second thought, this might turn out to be dangerous – the bad guys would probably try to escape and take over the world!