Derry knows no other life than that of a captive on Cram's Rock, shunned by the other young prisoners for being Cram's poison taster. Until the day everything changes, when a traveller arrives, on the run from the sinister El executioners. She leaves Derry with a magical notebook full of secrets, secrets that might hold the key to Derry's destiny – and his past.

In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Emily Rodda about the joy she still finds in writing fantasy fiction for young people, the fascination she feels for all her characters, and the importance of cultivating imagination in all aspects of our lives.