This morning Ben Morley, the author of The Silence Seeker, dropped into our office from Singapore during his holiday in London.

After a minute’s silence, Ben enthralled an audience with an intimate reading. The publicity director, managing director and production controller were among those who enjoyed the story and asked Ben questions. Although we can’t repeat the magic of the book read aloud, you can see a video Q & A with Ben below.

Ben signed copies of the book which you can win on Facebook and Twitter next week.

What inspired Ben to write The Silence Seeker

Ben Morley on… Favourite books

Ben Morley on… The Crown Prince of Brunei

Ben Morley on… Being a writer

Ben Morley on… Workshopping the book

We love all our books, but if you need recommendations, here they are: 10 books every library and school must have! Click on the titles to find out more.

10
Dave and the Tooth Fairy

Themes: jobs, losing teeth, Down’s Syndrome, wheelchair use, fairies

9
Choices, Choices…

Themes: jobs, poetry, humour

8
Amina and the Shell

Themes:  climate change, giants, agriculture

7
The Day the Rains Fell

Themes:  environment, water, creation, animals, African jewellery and pottery

6
The Silence Seeker

Themes:  immigration, making friends, noises and silence, urban life, ESL, SEN

5
Miss Bubble’s Troubles

Themes:  humour, poetry, school, hospital, pets

4
Ferris Fleet the Wheelchair Wizard

Themes:  space, humour, wheelchair use, single-parent family, working mums, moving house 

3
Accessible biographies of well-loved icons

Themes:  Black History Month, non-fiction, biography, careers

2
Spike and Ali Enson

Themes:  humour, aliens, sibling rivalry, adoption

1
The Young Chieftain

Themes:  dual heritage, bereavement, family history, responsibility

And a little something for bed time…
The Night the Lights Went Out

A soothing, lyrical story for anyone who’s afraid of the dark.

Last month in this feature you met Odette Elliott, a picture book author. Once we have a powerful story, we turn to illustrators to bring them to life. Here’s a little bit from an illustrator extraordinaire, Carl Pearce.

Which books have you had published?
I’ve illustrated The Silence Seeker, Big Eyes, Scary Voice, Ferris Fleet and The Night The Lights Went Out for Tamarind as well as a tonne of educational and fun books elsewhere.

What inspired your artwork on The Silence Seeker?
The 1993 Michael Douglas movie ‘Falling Down’. The way that film looks is a big influence on a lot of my work. Also, a lot of the scenes in the story are actual places local to me in North Wales and Chester.

What you’d be if you weren’t an artist?
I don’t think I am an ‘artist’ but I would either be a fireman or a nature photographer somewhere interesting like South Africa or Northern Canada. I may still change jobs, you never know.

What are your hobbies?
Drawing, obviously. Watching movies, reading books and comics, being outdoors and on the beach and making stuff, like models, toys, pictures, a mess…

What are you reading at the moment?
211 Things A Bright Boy Can Do by Tom Cutler. It’s my bible.

What’s your favourite Tamarind book and why?
Can I be selfish and pick Big Eyes, Scary Voice, merely because I had so much fun ‘researching’ it in Cornwall in 2007. I took over 400 photographs of bits and pieces I wanted to add into the pictures on that book.

If you’d like to book Carl for a signing, drawing workshop or talk with questions and answers in your school or library, please contact Kelly Tapper in our publicity team on ktapper@randomhouse.co.uk or 020 8231 6648. Carl is based in North Wales.