My favourite pen is a black uniball Signo gel ink pen. I like it because it gives a clean, smooth line. I always carry one with me in my bag so it’s ready to go!

I like brightly-coloured, lightweight notebooks. My favourite is one I found at Staples in the US. I couldn’t resist the extras – a ruler, pouch, dividers, and colourful stickies. I keep different notebooks for different purposes – story notes & doodles, notes from writers’ events or conferences, and a small notebook for ideas when travelling and being out and about.

Other stationery items I buy regularly include:

A Pauper Press diary – I keep myself organized with a paper diary so I can see and plan ahead.

A mechanical pencil, lead and a soft eraser. I like to make notes in pencil.

Folders – plastic with elastic bands to keep them closed – are great for keeping together all the bits and pieces pertaining to a project, especially a non-fiction book, where there is a lot of research.

I love Caran d’ache pastels and regularly use these for brainstorming ideas.

I have an assortment of Crayola crayons, too, which are useful for colour coding drafts and highlighting notes.

A fun pencil case – following some great advice I received, I have created one for my school visits so I can be sure not to forget anything – pens for signing, my mac adapter, clicker, USB stick, spare batteries, pencil, etc.

I also created a cool bespoke stamp for signing my new book.

I have always written, but for a long time, I focused more on my career as an editor and then as a mum. I was frustrated that I hadn’t published a book for a long time and so I decided to take an online non-fiction writing course. It led to the writing of
THE CRAYON MAN: THE TRUE STORY OF THE INVENTION OF CRAYOLA CRAYONS, which is published in the US in March 2019. It is the true story of Edwin Binney, a man who loved nature and colour, who had a knack for listening and making what people needed.

It is a story about colour and creativity. I love drawing and making things and I was inspired by this entrepreneur’s story. I hope it will empower children and adults everywhere to appreciate something we all take for granted – affordable, durable and safe crayons. What will you create?!

THE CRAYON MAN: THE TRUE STORY OF THE INVENTION OF CRAYOLA CRAYONS Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on 19 March 2019.

To find out more about Natascha Biebow and her books check out her website:
nataschabiebow.com