As the year approaches its end, I tend to suffer from an increasing sense of melancholy. And as a result – though it may seem counterintuitive – I always become more productive.

Perhaps the short days remind me that time is passing and so I need to make the most of it (I don't know about you, but somehow I feel more mortal on a winter's evening than on a long and lazy summer's day). Perhaps it's the sinking feeling that another new year is coming, and then another birthday, and this time I'd better have something to show for the milestone. Or perhaps it's a throwback to the days when I used to distract myself from school by writing fantasy (is there anything bleaker than the month of November when you're a socially awkward teenager?)

Welcome to another interview-with-a-twist in the Barren Island Books series! The rules remain the same: guests imagine they’re being exiled to a remote island with only five books for company, selected from the categories I give them. But the twist is, these guests aren’t authors but fictional characters.

My interviewee this week is Grizelda the off-white witch, star of Have Frog, Will Travel – the latest and craziest instalment in the Banned Underground series by Will Macmillan Jones. I can tell you two things about Grizelda, which may or may not be related: one, she is definitely the smartest, wittiest and most entertaining character in the Banned Underground series; and two, she has a tendency to turn people into frogs if they say anything she doesn't like. We caught up with her on her way back from getting her, um, vintage broomstick serviced for the hundredth time …

I've been tagged to take part in the My Main Character blog hop by John Ayliff, author of sci-fi novel Belt Three (coming from Harper Voyager next year). I'm really looking forward to this book being released – it sounds brilliant! If you missed John's behind-the-scenes introduction to his main character, Jonas, you can read it here.

The idea of this blog hop, as the name suggests, is to say a little bit about a book's main character. Yet I have a slight problem with this when it comes to Darkhaven. Because the truth is, Darkhaven doesn't have just one or two viewpoint characters. It has seven. And it's not even epic fantasy!*

I know, I know. I should have my author's membership card revoked.

Still, if I had to play favourites with my characters (which I don't like to do, because it makes them cranky) I guess Myrren Nightshade would be top of the list. So let's ignore the mutterings of the other six and focus on him.