In celebration of the launch of her fourth book, we interview indie author Lois Petren, about her incredible cute Lulu and Lainey series.

There’s no shortage of charm to the Lulu and Lainey books by Lois Petren. The premise itself is irresistible. A little girl who loves to knit, Lulu, has befriended her favourite ball of yarn, Lainey. Together the two find themselves in simple, but warming adventures in the streets and countryside of France. The illustrations are just gorgeous and seamlessly meld with the setting and story.

Potentially we should have run the Lulu and Lainey Interview a while ago. We’ve previously reviewed two books from her series, A French Yarn and The Lucky Day, after all. But it was now that felt right, as the fourth book, Lulu and Lainey at the Farm, made its way to bookshelves around the world. You’ll never guess the location for this entry?

So let’s hear a little bit more from Lois Petren in the Lulu and Lainey Interview

The Lulu and Lainey Interview

Tell us about Lulu and Lainey at the Farm

Lulu and Lainey at the Farm is the fourth book in my series, which is about a little French girl named Lulu who has a very special object that she calls Lainey. It is a ball of green yarn. It’s her favorite colour. It’s soft and fuzzy. She loves it!

Lulu and her family live in Paris and she likes to go to her grandmother’s house every week to knit and have lunch. In each book of the series something happens to Lainey – it gets lost, stolen, or used to complete a knitting project.

In this new book, Lulu and her family take the train to the countryside to visit her grandparents’ farm. There are lots of interesting things to do and see and – very exciting – a new baby kid has just been born! When the weather suddenly gets cold and her grandmother fears that it could hurt the baby goat she finds wool and knitting needles and gets to work to create a little sweater. She runs out of yarn and asks Lulu to sacrifice some of her favourite ball of yarn to add to the sweater. Through this, Lulu learns a valuable lesson about sharing.

What made you write about a farm?

I’m sure you’ve seen pictures and videos of the baby goats wearing sweaters and pyjamas. I love the idea of this and wanted to find a way to incorporate it into my series storyline. So, this is my humble contribution to the “baby goats in tiny sweaters” meme!

Why did you decide to start writing children’s books?

I’m an avid knitter and always have a project underway. In the spring of 2015 I lost a ball of yarn during a family trip to Paris. A little fantasy evolved among my family and friends about this ball of yarn being lost in Paris having adventures. I started to put a story together, which evolved into my first book, Lulu and Lainey a French Yarn. Ideas kept coming and at present I’m up to four books.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

Knitting, of course!  I also love spending time with my family, cooking, travelling, visiting museums and the opera.

Where do you think Lulu and Lainey will go next?

Funny you should ask! In my next book, Lulu and her grandmother are going to do a slightly deeper dive into the craft of knitting. I’ve heard from some of my adult readers that they’d like to see more about this. I’m working out the structure now, but it will definitely be appropriate for the four to seven age group. Probably focusing on animals that provide fibre for yarn and some of the basics that are appropriate for kids this age.

Where can readers get in contact with you?

Lulu and Lainey at the Farm and all the Lulu and Lainey books are available in paperback and eBook formats on Amazon. Of course, do visit Lois’ website to find her social platforms and more info on all her books.