I often get asked why the story and characters are set in Shoreditch? Not many, if any children's books are set in Shoreditch.
Well, for one, I lived in Shoreditch for 6 years. And I absolutely loved it. There is a gritty, magic and adventurous spirit to the area.
I love walking. I used to walk around Shoreditch a lot. Choosing multiple routes to get to the same place as often as I could. I would rarely walk the same way twice if I could. The narrow streets, like warrens, always led me to interesting buildings and activity. There is no much live down every street and lane. Street art covers a lot of the walls. This adds to the setting. It gives it life. Street art is so human. Seeing evidence of a creative person in a quiet street offered me company and conversation when I was walking alone.
During the pandemic a friend and I would install street art around the area late at night. The wanderings of Rivington and Redchurch around Shoreditch are a reference to this late night missions.