Top children’s author Matthew Skelton tells ANDREW FFRENCH of the trials and tribulations of writing that tricky second novel.

IN 2006, Matthew Skelton’s debut novel, Endymion Spring, was a big hit with children and adults.

The magical tale of rare books switched between medieval Germany and the depths of Oxford’s Bodleian Library, prompting a bidding contest between five publishers.

Now, three years on, the former Somerville College graduate, who grew up in Canada, has completed his second novel, The Story of Cirrus Flux, again published by Puffin.

Top bands sometimes struggle with the “difficult second album”, and Skelton, who lives in North Oxford, admits that he found it a challenge to complete his second novel.

The book is set in 18th century London and focuses on the plight of orphan boy Cirrus Flux, who is pursued through the capital by a sinister mesmerist.

“Because of the hype surrounding the first book, I felt I had to write a similar second book in terms of drama and adventure,” he tells The Guide.

“But I ended up facing an impossible deadline I could not meet.

“It took me ages to figure out how to write Cirrus – there are three different narratives going on.

“It’s a complicated book, but I tried to make it tighter and stronger than Endymion Spring.

“The 18th century is a fascinating period and the book is all about the introduction of science – it’s full of dark and sinister things.”

Although The Story of Cirrus Flux is set in London, Skelton worked on the tale in Oxford.

And it was while he was taking one of his regular strolls on Port Meadow that the villainess Madame Orrery – who could perhaps give Philip Pullman’s Mrs Coulter a run for her money – forced her way to the forefront of the novel.

“She never did what she was told, but once she appears in chapter two I knew she had to be in it, and it took me ages to find a way to include her,” Skelton explains.

“The story is set entirely in the 18th century, so I had to do tons of research.

It's an ambitious little book, and I hope that children like it as they did Endymion Spring.”

The softly-spoken author plans to visit a number of schools to promote his new novel but like the boy in the story, he is in a state of flux himself.

The 38-year-old enjoys living in Oxford, but feels drawn back to his native Canada, and is even considering buying a house there.

“The biggest problem in my life is that I do not know where I want or need to be,” he confesses.

“I like England for the history and the culture but part of me wants to be back in Canada where I can feel more independent.

“My mind is a blur of possible book ideas but do I want to go travelling instead?”

A book tour of Canada “in the fall” might satisfy Skelton’s wanderlust, but at the same time, he might be tempted to snap up a three-bedroomed house by the sea in Nova Scotia.

When I suggest phoning back in a week’s time for another chat, Skelton reckons that he might already be on a plane to Canada by then.

There are clearly one or two plot twists in the author’s own life story that have not yet been written.

The Story of Cirrus Flux is published by Puffin, price £6.99.