CAPTURING people’s imaginations has never been hard for author Jo Foster.

As one of the first members of Wivenhoe Youth Theatre, she and fellow young actors and directors learned the vital skills needed to weave tales of fantasy, drama and comedy.

The experience gave the budding author a good grounding when she started writing children’s books years later, and she recalled the important role the youth theatre played in her future.

“There was a point when we were performing with the youth theatre where we realised audiences really enjoyed the show, and weren’t just there to support us,” said 28-year-old Jo. “I remember a Midsummer Night’s Dream was particularly well received.

“Being in the youth theatre got us thinking about all the creative things we could do in our lives,” added Jo, whose mother, Sheila Foster, was one of the founding members of the youth theatre.

One of Jo’s contemporaries, Dan Shearer, proved this point, and has gone on to be a professional director, taking his shows to the Edinburgh Festival.

Creativity and imagination are important to Jo, who recently published two new books in her children’s series, History Spies.

The books read as guidelines for budding spies travelling back to different periods of time.

The latest two books take young readers on an adventure to the Great Exhibition in the Victorian era, and on a mission with the Egyptians.

It was Jo’s grandfather who first inspired her enthusiasm for history. Jo, who attended Wivenhoe Primary School, said: “I remember going for a day trip to Rochester Castle when I was a kid, and when I got back, grandad drew me a big timeline of historical events.

“It had things like the year I was born, the year he was born, the war, and when the castle was built.

“I think that’s when I realised how much stuff had happened before I’d even been thought of, which is quite an exciting new idea when you’re little.”

She praised her history teachers at Colchester County High School, who also encouraged Jo to pursue her interest in the subject, particularly Mrs Spooner and Mr Haines.

After graduating in history from Cambridge University, Jo landed a job as a researcher on a television series called the Worst Job in the World, presented by Time Team and Blackadder’s Tony Robinson. Part of her job involved coming up with gruesome jobs for him to recreate.

She said: “We made him tread cloth in human urine in his bare feet, and we knew he hated heights, so we made him climb up the rigging of a tall ship – that sort of thing.”

“In spite of all that, he asked me to research and co-write the children’s book he wrote to go with the series.

It was while working on the show she came up with an idea for a series of books for children, and realised with her imagination and knowledge of history, the books could be fun. Coincidentally, the publisher asked if Jo had any ideas of her own, so she told them her idea for History Spies.

Using spy missions in the books to explore the past is also an important way for kids to discover things about modern culture, she explained.

“Once you know about how life has been in other times and places, it opens up your eyes to how fascinating the world is and how strange people are.

“Anything you do you think is perfectly normal, but there would be a Roman or even a Victorian who would think it is totally crazy.”

Jo admitted if she could spy on a past era herself, she would stay close to her roots and have a snoop around Colchester. “I’d have a chat with Boudicca, then head back into town for a good look round and have a proper Roman bath.

“And if I could have a day trip to the siege of Colchester in the Civil War, that would be exciting.

“Maybe with the really nasty bits of history, it is best just to read about them and use your imagination.”