Meet the author

Meet Charlie Carter

Charlie Carter is the author of the action-packed children’s series ‘Battle Boy’ where 11-year-old Napoleon Smythe travels through time, fighting baddies and learning about some interesting points in history.

In Open Fire, the first book of the Battle Boy series, Napoleon travels back to Spain in 1587 to collect Sir Francis Drake’s DNA for the Warrior Gene Bank. But what will Napoleon do when the mission goes wrong?

Good Reading talked to Charlie about his favourite gadgets and snacks as well as the inspiration behind the series.

1. Napoleon Smythe has some cool gadgets, like a NukeBelt and ThumbGun. What’s your favourite gadget?

The ThumbGun is a wicked bit of gear, but I like the HoverVest, too, especially when used with BootBoosters, allowing Battle Boy to fly around and hover. But I think my favourite gadget is the Helping Hand; it has so many features, particularly Version 5.3 with its Battle Edit Kit.

2. If you could travel in time to any era or event, where would you go and why?

I would go into the future and check out the winning lotto numbers, then come back and make a mozza.
As far as the past goes, I’d love to join Julius Caesar on his battles in Germania; or ride with Genghis Khan across the plains of Mongolia; or fly a triplane like the Red Baron’s; or journey to the centre of the Earth, or into someone’s brain; or…. the list could go on and on. It would all be awesome.

3. Battle Girl 001’s favourite snack is toasted marshmallows on strawberry jam and peanut butter, topped with whipped cream. What’s yours?

Actually BG001 stole her favourite snack from me, only she added the whipped cream. I prefer lashings of white chocolate icecream and crushed honeycomb. Soooo good it’s baaaad!

4. How did you come up with the idea to start writing Battle Boy?

I have always thought of battles as amazing, explosive mangles of energy, and I just can’t imagine that energy fading away to nothing. So I see this battle energy as a kind of mist floating around, like a cloud full of electricity and static, waiting to be captured and re-used, re-lived, revisited. That’s an exciting thought begging to be developed into a series of stories, I decided. And then all the other parts of the story, especially the gadgets, just stood up and said ‘take me, take me!’ It is an enormously fun series to write, with huge potential for many stories. I’m loving it.

5. What was your favourite subject at school?

History, for sure, and Ancient History more than anything. I wanted to be an archaeologist, a tomb-raider, delving into the past and making mind-blowing discoveries.

6. Can you recommend any authors or books for fans of the Battle Boy series to try?

There are so many great authors out there. It almost seems wrong to pick out a few. But I love the books of people like Carol Wilkinson, Michael Gerard Bauer and James Roy, Debora Abela, Christine Harris and Gabrielle Lord, to name just a few. Reading books is one of the best ways to free your mind; the more you read, the freer you become.

7. Who is your favourite character in Battle Boy and why?

I like Battle Boy. In some ways he’s the kid I was, or think of myself as being – forever exploring a world of exciting, imagined possibilities. I also like Napoleon’s family very much. There’s something slightly foolish but human about Dad and the brothers; they take themselves so seriously. Mrs Smythe, on the other hand, understands much more than she lets on.

I think Skin – Battle Boy’s body armour and data-collecting outfit – is really my favourite. On the surface Skin seems to have no feelings – he’s just a mass of nano-computers, microchips and circuits. But underneath he does have emotions, and he is really a very good friend to BB005.

I’m not sure about Professor Perdu, and I don’t think Battle Boy is either. She’s a ruthless customer who almost certainly has a hidden agenda.
 

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There are eight books so far in the Battle Boy series: Open Fire, Red Devil Down, Destroy Troy, Bloodaxe, Aztec Attack, Battle Bust-up, Vampire Virus and Chariot Charge.