The Mares of Merryland Chase

The Mares of Merryland Chase  (2017) Post 365

The Mares of Merryland Chase is the final post for 2017, but since I've run out of year before running out of books, the blog will continue tomorrow. 
Smiley, whose "Sunday" name is Hilaria Sunshine Halfacre South, receives a gift on her ninth birthday; a letter from her ancestor, also named Hilaria. Smiley, it seems, is the High Hilaria of a land named Millandia, and her ancestor has bequeathed her the key to the realm. 
Between her birthday breakfast and her party, Smiley heads off to claim her land, only to discover the regents are very much in charge and unwilling to relinquish the reins. 

ABOUT THE BLOG

Sally is Sally Odgers; author, manuscript assessor, editor, anthologist and reader. She runs http://www.affordablemanuscriptassessments.com and Prints Charming Books. (Sally is me, by the way, and I am lots of other things too, but these are the relevant ones for now.)

The goal for 2017 is to write a post a day profiling the background behind one of my books; how it came to be written, what it's about, and any things of note that happened along the way. If you're an author, an aspiring author, a reader or just someone who enjoys windows into worlds, you might find this fun. The books are not in any special order, but will be assigned approximate dates, and pictures, where they exist. 

Characters to Go

Characters to Go  (2007/2017) Post 364

Characters to Go, (originally published as Characters and Characterisation) is a how-to on producing (you guessed it), characters for use in fiction. The updated text of this one forms part of 
Everything You Want to Know About Writing and More, Much More: the Whole Kit and Kaboodle

However, it is also available as a single volume. Creating characters is one of my favourite parts of writing, and over the years I've created so many of them I've lost count. There's a partial list at http://sallyodgers.50megs.com/people.htm if you're interested, but if you plan to read all the names and relationships it will take a while. A shorter list of some characters from 2016/17 is available here.  I seem to have a bit of an obsession with characters, so needless to say, I enjoyed writing Characters to Go.
ABOUT THE BLOG

Sally is Sally Odgers; author, manuscript assessor, editor, anthologist and reader. She runs http://www.affordablemanuscriptassessments.com and Prints Charming Books. (Sally is me, by the way, and I am lots of other things too, but these are the relevant ones for now.)

The goal for 2017 is to write a post a day profiling the background behind one of my books; how it came to be written, what it's about, and any things of note that happened along the way. If you're an author, an aspiring author, a reader or just someone who enjoys windows into worlds, you might find this fun. The books are not in any special order, but will be assigned approximate dates, and pictures, where they exist. 

A Call in the Wild

A Call in the Wild (2008) Post 363

A Call in the Wild is another of those occasional stories I'd utterly forgotten until a copy turned up out of the blue. I have a vague memory of writing it, but until I saw the byline I'd forgotten it was a co-authored story. As far as I recall, I was asked to finish a story someone else had started... or maybe the other writer just did the outline. Anyway, it's a graphic novel, which means there's almost no way of identifying how much of it I wrote. (Style shows up in narrative, and this has captions and dialogue.) Manuela and ehr parents take Erin camping and the two girls go hiking in the American wilderness. Manuela's parents are totally against mobile phones. They are vegetarian, yoga-practitioners and subsistence gardeners although, as Manuela sourly observes, the computer is "different" because it's used for work. Not wanting to upset Manuela, Erin doesn't reveal that she HAS a phone until it's badly needed... Since she hasn't been pulling it out all the time, Manuela's parents have to concede that mobiles CAN be used responsibly.

ABOUT THE BLOG

Sally is Sally Odgers; author, manuscript assessor, editor, anthologist and reader. She runs http://www.affordablemanuscriptassessments.com and Prints Charming Books. (Sally is me, by the way, and I am lots of other things too, but these are the relevant ones for now.)

The goal for 2017 is to write a post a day profiling the background behind one of my books; how it came to be written, what it's about, and any things of note that happened along the way. If you're an author, an aspiring author, a reader or just someone who enjoys windows into worlds, you might find this fun. The books are not in any special order, but will be assigned approximate dates, and pictures, where they exist. 

Horatio Einstein, the Hero

Horatio Einstein, the Hero (2007) Post 362

Horatio Einstein, the Hero has an actual comma in the title. The title I gave it originally was Horatio Einstein is a Hero, Kind of so the comma must have come in from the editor.

During the late 1980s to the early 2000s, I has a ball writing reading scheme stories (bonsai novels) whose only specifications were genre, length, reading age and a few subjects/themes to avoid. In other words, they were almost exactly like a mainstream children's book in miniature. By the time I wrote Horatio, things had changed, big time. The 1980s change (to learn to read by reading stories rather learning to read so as to be able to read them) had moved on to a different ideal; "curriculum-based" reading, which meant the fiction had to address something that tied into other parts of the curriculum. The brief for this story was conservation and national parks. Other books from around the same time include Summer at Drought Palace and The Penthean Problem, and in all three cases I took the subject matter (water conservation and multicultural food) and ran with it. For Horatio, I sent my characters to Cheese Hill National Park... Only it wasn't really called that... The story begins more or less like this...

My adventure in the Cheese Hill National Park was exciting. It was also uncomfortable and scary.

Before I tell you about it, I'll introduce myself. My name isn’t really Horatio Einstein, but let's pretend it is. (I'll explain why later on.)  I'm a thinker. Ever since our adventure, I've done some really deep thinking. I came up with something our teacher, Ms Galah, calls a paradox. This is the way it goes.

Humans live in the world. If the world is sick, humans get sick.

Think about that.

Now for the next bit.

 Things people do to survive sometimes harm the natural world. That makes it harder for humans to survive.

There's my paradox. Let's work on survival skills for the world.

My best mate Montmorency Butterfinger is leaning over my shoulder while I write. He says that's all very noble, but when will I start the story?

OK, Monty. I'm starting it now.

Things went wrong on our hike through Cheese Hill National Park because people made tiny mistakes. These added up to danger. Why not see if you can spot them as you read along?

 I won't use real names in this story, because the park rangers need to keep something secret. My mate Monty isn't really called Montmorency Butterfinger, and Cheese Hill is not really called Cheese Hill.  Names are changed, but everything else is true, more or less.

This excerpt is taken from the edited form of the ms, and I see Montmorency's original surname was "Birdfinger". The ed. changed it to "Butterfinger". I was allowed to keep Horatio's alias, Ms Galah, Mr Sockenberger, Mayflower Bunjuggler, Boris Einstein and Velia Mutton (but Horatio's nickname of "Veal" for her got ruthlessly red-pencilled). As you can see, I had fun with the rather pedestrian and earnest subject matter... and I hope the readers do too!


ABOUT THE BLOG

Sally is Sally Odgers; author, manuscript assessor, editor, anthologist and reader. She runs http://www.affordablemanuscriptassessments.com and Prints Charming Books. (Sally is me, by the way, and I am lots of other things too, but these are the relevant ones for now.)

The goal for 2017 is to write a post a day profiling the background behind one of my books; how it came to be written, what it's about, and any things of note that happened along the way. If you're an author, an aspiring author, a reader or just someone who enjoys windows into worlds, you might find this fun. The books are not in any special order, but will be assigned approximate dates, and pictures, where they exist. 

The Lamburger Emergency

The Lamburger Emergency (2002) Post 361

The Lamburger Emergency was published under one of my less-used pennames; Sara Chen. 'Sara' is a form of 'Sarah' which is the 'parent' name of my real first name, but I don't remember where I got Chen from... It was probably a stab in the dark because the company liked a bit of ethnic diversity in author names. 

Jaz and her brother Steve (It seems unlikely to me that I chose his name, but at this point I can't remember...) are staying with their great-grandparents while their parents have a 15th anniversary holiday. (Coincidentally, it is now 15 years since I wrote this book!) Mum gives Jaz a pale blue phone to use "only for emergencies..." with Uncle James's number preprogrammed into it. It's raining heavily and, in the gap between falls, Jaz and Steve take the pet lamb, Lamburger (the previous one was called Woolly-Mae which probably meant nothing to young readers, even then...) for a run. They put the lamb in the woodshed with a hay bed and then retreat inside. The rain continues, the river floods and at the eleventh hour they remember Lamburger... Soon, Jaz and Steve and the lamb are perched in the treehouse Uncle James made, cut off from the house. Is THIS the emergency Mum envisioned?

ABOUT THE BLOG

Sally is Sally Odgers; author, manuscript assessor, editor, anthologist and reader. She runs http://www.affordablemanuscriptassessments.com and Prints Charming Books. (Sally is me, by the way, and I am lots of other things too, but these are the relevant ones for now.)

The goal for 2017 is to write a post a day profiling the background behind one of my books; how it came to be written, what it's about, and any things of note that happened along the way. If you're an author, an aspiring author, a reader or just someone who enjoys windows into worlds, you might find this fun. The books are not in any special order, but will be assigned approximate dates, and pictures, where they exist. 

EEEEE-MAIL

EEEEE-MAIL (1999) Post 360

EEEEE-Mail! is one of those books with a title I can never quite remember. First... how many Es? Then, which letters are capitalised? Then, does it or does it not have an exclamation mark? And... which name was I using at that point? Okay then. The picture tells a thousand words. Sort of. I remember the story itself, easily enough. Like Chat, which appeared in the blog back in May, this story shows its age, and reflects the internet as it was back then. Kathleen O'Grady lives with her dad, who is a very private person. He doesn't like it at all when Kathleen starts using chat rooms on the computer. She is NEVER to reveal her name, location etc to anyone she chats with, and NEVER to accept anything offered. Kathleen agrees, and sadly turns down gifts she would love to have, but disaster happens anyway, when someone finds out who and where she is. How? Well, she had to register with the chat room, right? And the danger comes not from the legitimate chatters, but from the host itself - the scourge of the House of O'Grady, the hereditary banshee. Woe to the House of O'Grady! Woe to its flame-haired heir! That's Kathleen, and Kathleen is equal to any cyber-spook. She's going to pull the plug on this scourge and get back to - chatting. Of course... it's not that simple.

ABOUT THE BLOG

Sally is Sally Odgers; author, manuscript assessor, editor, anthologist and reader. She runs http://www.affordablemanuscriptassessments.com and Prints Charming Books. (Sally is me, by the way, and I am lots of other things too, but these are the relevant ones for now.)

The goal for 2017 is to write a post a day profiling the background behind one of my books; how it came to be written, what it's about, and any things of note that happened along the way. If you're an author, an aspiring author, a reader or just someone who enjoys windows into worlds, you might find this fun. The books are not in any special order, but will be assigned approximate dates, and pictures, where they exist. 

Tied up in Tinsel

Tied up in Tinsel (2017) Post 359

Tied up in Tinsel is the second Christmas story in the Fairy in the Bed

series. Fairy on the Christmas Tree (2016) was the first. In that one, Frances, jilted on Christmas Eve, impulsively buys herself a fairy for her Christmas tree. This leads to her meeting with Niall Le Fay, a fairy who chooses to live and work in Sydney. Frances and Niall pop up again in Hot Summer Knight. Tied up in Tinsel is their third appearance, a year after their first meeting. This isn't their story, though.
Felicity "Flick" Echo is Niall's cousin, and she makes an impulsive visit to him on Christmas Day. She meets young George Dark, who makes a wish for a gift "all tied up in tinsel". Flick sees no reason not to give him his wish, but she soon finds out the gift isn't for George himself, but for his lonely bachelor father. All tied up in tinsel wasn't the way Flick wanted to spend Christmas Eve. Meanwhile, Chas Dark is taken aback when he encounters his Christmas present from his son. 

ABOUT THE BLOG

Sally is Sally Odgers; author, manuscript assessor, editor, anthologist and reader. She runs http://www.affordablemanuscriptassessments.com and Prints Charming Books. (Sally is me, by the way, and I am lots of other things too, but these are the relevant ones for now.)

The goal for 2017 is to write a post a day profiling the background behind one of my books; how it came to be written, what it's about, and any things of note that happened along the way. If you're an author, an aspiring author, a reader or just someone who enjoys windows into worlds, you might find this fun. The books are not in any special order, but will be assigned approximate dates, and pictures, where they exist. 

A Theft in Time: Timedetectors ll

A Theft in Time: Timedetectors ll  (1997) Post 358, is the sequel to 1995's Timedetectors. A year has passed since Tom and Coxie's adventure with Lizba the time traveller and her enemy, Palmer.  In that story, Tom got shot with a sol-shot, which caused temporary paralysis. He recovered and all was well... for a while. Then he started feeling ill and weak, and stopped growing. With doctors uncertain about what has caused his illness, he is steadily growing worse when he visits Dr Pennyfather to try to discover what happened to the skull from the first book. This leads to an encounter with Coxie, who is now bigger and stronger than Tom, and happily settled with his mother, stepfather, baby sister and his pet cockatoo. The meeting is uneasy, but then they meet a timetraveller in the mall... soon the race is on to find a cure for Tom and to prevent Lizba's legacy from getting into the wrong hands.

In this story, we introduced two time police and named them James and Maria, after our son and daughter (it's her second name). We also had some fun with cockatoo DNA. This story, as sequels often do, arose from a strand in the story that we hadn;t really noticed until we needed it. Writers' serendipity!

ABOUT THE BLOG

Sally is Sally Odgers; author, manuscript assessor, editor, anthologist and reader. She runs http://www.affordablemanuscriptassessments.com and Prints Charming Books. (Sally is me, by the way, and I am lots of other things too, but these are the relevant ones for now.)

The goal for 2017 is to write a post a day profiling the background behind one of my books; how it came to be written, what it's about, and any things of note that happened along the way. If you're an author, an aspiring author, a reader or just someone who enjoys windows into worlds, you might find this fun. The books are not in any special order, but will be assigned approximate dates, and pictures, where they exist.  isn't an encyclopaedia of fantasy creatures as it first appears. Instead, it's a collection of character drawings and paintings with written descriptions. The artist and I treated the book more or less as we might have treated animal portraits or pictures of famous people of the past, giving each one a personality and a place in the general scheme of things. I loved working on this collection, because dreaming up characters and world-building with them is one of my favourite things to do.

Wish Matched

Wish Matched (2017) Post 357

Wish Matched  is a fantasy romance in the Fairy in the Bed  series. Si and Skye appear in several titles in this series. They pop up in Honey and the Harvest Hob, Pen and Ink, Floribunda and the Best Men and Pisky Business. This is the story of their meeting.

Susan McFee is half fairy, but because her parents choose to "live human", she has never developed her fay potential. Even after five years, she missed her fairy grandad, who gave her a pair of fairy boots. 

Si Bakewell is a trace-fay. He has just enough fairy in him to make life interesting. Now in his twenties, he decides to make use of a bit of fairy magic his dad taught him. 

Si and Susan were made for one another. They're a perfect match, but before they can get that happy-ever-after, they have to - you know - meet. This is the story of how they finally find one another deep in the Tasmanian bush. Although this is part of a series, it does stand alone. In fact, being set in the 1980s, it predates the other published titles in the timeline.

Buy it here

ABOUT THE BLOG

Sally is Sally Odgers; author, manuscript assessor, editor, anthologist and reader. She runs http://www.affordablemanuscriptassessments.com and Prints Charming Books. (Sally is me, by the way, and I am lots of other things too, but these are the relevant ones for now.)

The goal for 2017 is to write a post a day profiling the background behind one of my books; how it came to be written, what it's about, and any things of note that happened along the way. If you're an author, an aspiring author, a reader or just someone who enjoys windows into worlds, you might find this fun. The books are not in any special order, but will be assigned approximate dates, and pictures, where they exist. 

Pyramids

Pyramids (2008) Post 356, is another in the same series as the books about Titanic, Pompeii and The Trojan Horse. Like those, this one is about a subject that interests many people. It was an interesting book to research and write, too, and some of the research spilled over into the books Pyramid Scheme and Ramses Rat and the Great Cat, Bastet. Generally, when we think of pyramids, I think we picture the Egyptian model, but this book looks at other  types as well. As usual with this series, the pictures are beautifully detailed and call for more than a cursory glance. I'm pretty sure this is the last of the  books. According to Google, I also wrote on on sharks, but I certainly don't remember that.

ABOUT THE BLOG

Sally is Sally Odgers; author, manuscript assessor, editor, anthologist and reader. She runs http://www.affordablemanuscriptassessments.com and Prints Charming Books. (Sally is me, by the way, and I am lots of other things too, but these are the relevant ones for now.)

The goal for 2017 is to write a post a day profiling the background behind one of my books; how it came to be written, what it's about, and any things of note that happened along the way. If you're an author, an aspiring author, a reader or just someone who enjoys windows into worlds, you might find this fun. The books are not in any special order, but will be assigned approximate dates, and pictures, where they exist.  isn't an encyclopaedia of fantasy creatures as it first appears. Instead, it's a collection of character drawings and paintings with written descriptions. The artist and I treated the book more or less as we might have treated animal portraits or pictures of famous people of the past, giving each one a personality and a place in the general scheme of things. I loved working on this collection, because dreaming up characters and world-building with them is one of my favourite things to do.

Pompeii: A Lost City

Pompeii: A Lost City (2008) Post 355, is in the same series as the books about Titanic and The Trojan Horse. Like those, this has a true story with a lot of facts that fascinate children (and adults), but again, like the other two, it was tricky to present the facts in a way suited to readers of eight or so. Look at the facts; Titanic sank and a lot of people died, many of them unnecessarily. It was a disaster. The Troy story is rife with adultery, revenge, murder and more unnecessary death. Pompeii sort of takes the cake, with so many people dying from the poisonous volcanic fumes, before being buried in lava. So, there were the facts, which had to be presented without undue fuss and colour. We have A Bustling City, Everyday Life, Warning Signs, Eruption in Pompeii, Eruption in Herculanium... and then we go though more chapters to Pompeii Today, Amazing Discoveries and such. The book is beautifully illustrated and it was interesting to write but, as I said, difficult. But... maybe kids today see so much disaster on the News

they're not much affected by something that happened so very long ago.

ABOUT THE BLOG

Sally is Sally Odgers; author, manuscript assessor, editor, anthologist and reader. She runs http://www.affordablemanuscriptassessments.com and Prints Charming Books. (Sally is me, by the way, and I am lots of other things too, but these are the relevant ones for now.)

The goal for 2017 is to write a post a day profiling the background behind one of my books; how it came to be written, what it's about, and any things of note that happened along the way. If you're an author, an aspiring author, a reader or just someone who enjoys windows into worlds, you might find this fun. The books are not in any special order, but will be assigned approximate dates, and pictures, where they exist.  isn't an encyclopaedia of fantasy creatures as it first appears. Instead, it's a collection of character drawings and paintings with written descriptions. The artist and I treated the book more or less as we might have treated animal portraits or pictures of famous people of the past, giving each one a personality and a place in the general scheme of things. I loved working on this collection, because dreaming up characters and world-building with them is one of my favourite things to do.

Hey Mum!

Hey Mum! (1989) Post 354

Hey Mum! is a book of its time, reflecting what was happening in my life when I wrote it. It's about a small child who has a lot to say about what's happening, and who loves to involve others in interesting things. Every hour, on the hour, it's, "Hey Mum!" as an alert before she launches into a blow by blow description of something happening. The clock faces show the time, adding a subtle (maybe) teaching theme to the story. It's "Hey Mum!" hour after hour until... suddenly, it's "Hey Dad!" I haven't found a cover picture for this one yet, but will post it up when I do. 

ABOUT THE BLOG

Sally is Sally Odgers; author, manuscript assessor, editor, anthologist and reader. She runs http://www.affordablemanuscriptassessments.com and Prints Charming Books. (Sally is me, by the way, and I am lots of other things too, but these are the relevant ones for now.)

The goal for 2017 is to write a post a day profiling the background behind one of my books; how it came to be written, what it's about, and any things of note that happened along the way. If you're an author, an aspiring author, a reader or just someone who enjoys windows into worlds, you might find this fun. The books are not in any special order, but will be assigned approximate dates, and pictures, where they exist.  isn't an encyclopaedia of fantasy creatures as it first appears. Instead, it's a collection of character drawings and paintings with written descriptions. The artist and I treated the book more or less as we might have treated animal portraits or pictures of famous people of the past, giving each one a personality and a place in the general scheme of things. I loved working on this collection, because dreaming up characters and world-building with them is one of my favourite things to do.

Journey into Faerie

Journey into Faerie (2011) Post 353

Journey into Faerie isn't an encyclopaedia of fantasy creatures as it first appears. Instead, it's a collection of character drawings and paintings with written descriptions. The artist and I treated the book more or less as we might have treated animal portraits or pictures of famous people of the past, giving each one a personality and a place in the general scheme of things. I loved working on this collection, because dreaming up characters and world-building with them is one of my favourite things to do.

ABOUT THE BLOG

Sally is Sally Odgers; author, manuscript assessor, editor, anthologist and reader. She runs http://www.affordablemanuscriptassessments.com and Prints Charming Books. (Sally is me, by the way, and I am lots of other things too, but these are the relevant ones for now.)

The goal for 2017 is to write a post a day profiling the background behind one of my books; how it came to be written, what it's about, and any things of note that happened along the way. If you're an author, an aspiring author, a reader or just someone who enjoys windows into worlds, you might find this fun. The books are not in any special order, but will be assigned approximate dates, and pictures, where they exist. 

Timedetectors

Timedetectors  (1995) Post 352

Timedetectors is the first one of a pair of science fiction thrillers my husband and I co-wrote back in the 1990s. It's going up today in honour of our grandson's 8th birthday- he's just the age for it and a copy is on its way for him and his sister. It's a favourite of mine, and has quite a back story.

My husband had lately got a metal detector, bought in those pre-internet-shopping days via a friend in the US. We used to go camping at the Asbestos Ranges at that point (now the place is renamed Narawntapu  which I don't say because I can't pronounce it!). It was great fun. We took the metal detector along, and got bitten by jackjumpers and had (as I recall) to climb a steep hill to get any mobile signal.

One night when we were at home, my husband woke me up quite late at night and informed me he had an idea for a book. He told me about it and it was such a wonderfully good idea I got up and made copious notes. Together, we thrashed out the logistics of the plot which concerns a couple of boys named Tom Stratton and Thane "Coxie" Cox who go camping in the Asbestos Ranges. They borrow Tom's dad's metal detector and discover an opalised skull and some medallions made from a metal the detector can't identify. The boys end up in a time-travel adventure, during which Tom is shot by a stun-gun wielded by the villain, Palmer, which has far-reaching effects. This story has a tie-in to another book; Wolfmaster, because Tom and Coxie want to join the Adventurers, which is the club Dane belongs to in that book. Recently, I found a peculiar Prezi presentation of this book on the 'net. It's at https://prezi.com/iof1rf7ngxam/timedetectors and my main reaction is ...ummmm?

ABOUT THE BLOG

Sally is Sally Odgers; author, manuscript assessor, editor, anthologist and reader. She runs http://www.affordablemanuscriptassessments.com and Prints Charming Books. (Sally is me, by the way, and I am lots of other things too, but these are the relevant ones for now.)

The goal for 2017 is to write a post a day profiling the background behind one of my books; how it came to be written, what it's about, and any things of note that happened along the way. If you're an author, an aspiring author, a reader or just someone who enjoys windows into worlds, you might find this fun. The books are not in any special order, but will be assigned approximate dates, and pictures, where they exist. 

Olly and the Long Way Home

Olly and the Long Way Home (1999) Post 351

Olly and the Long Way Home  is another Olympic Mascot story. In this episode, Olly is off on another long flight, spreading the Olympic message. He promises Millie to take care, but he's so pleased with himself that he flies extra fast. His confidence grows as he sets off home, startling a seagull, an albatross and a parrot. He feels so sorry for birds who aren't mascots, and flies some fancy swoops and rolls. One dive between two trees brings him up smartly, right into a net.

Well, his Olympic magic will help... but no. It doesn't work because he used it to show off. Olly struggles to no avail, and eventually yells for help. The gull, albatross and parrot come to his aid, using their particular talents to free him, feed him and carry a message to his friends. Lesson learned, Olly gets home, knowing he might be special, but so are other birds.

ABOUT THE BLOG

Sally is Sally Odgers; author, manuscript assessor, editor, anthologist and reader. She runs http://www.affordablemanuscriptassessments.com and Prints Charming Books. (Sally is me, by the way, and I am lots of other things too, but these are the relevant ones for now.)

The goal for 2017 is to write a post a day profiling the background behind one of my books; how it came to be written, what it's about, and any things of note that happened along the way. If you're an author, an aspiring author, a reader or just someone who enjoys windows into worlds, you might find this fun. The books are not in any special order, but will be assigned approximate dates, and pictures, where they exist. 

Syd and the Lucky Stone

Syd and the Lucky Stone (1999) Post 350

Syd and the Lucky Stone  is a third story about Syd, the Olympic Mascot from the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. In this story, Syd meets an athlete named Curly who is upset because he's lost his lucky blue stone.

He thinks he lost it in Bird Reserve, and fears he won't perform well without it. Syd offers to keep an eye out. He asks about, and a helpful bird directs him to the Satin Bowerbird. Sure enough, there's the blue stone, decorating the bower. Syd explains the stone belongs to Curly and the Bowerbird agrees to relinquish his find.

Syd takes the stone to Curly, and Millie and Olly report Curly has been making great time with his running. Curly thanks Syd, but concedes he shouldn't depend on a lucky charm, but instead rely on his talent and training. He says the bird's need (to impress a mate and have a family) is important, and sends it back. Syd returns the stone and all is well.

ABOUT THE BLOG

Sally is Sally Odgers; author, manuscript assessor, editor, anthologist and reader. She runs http://www.affordablemanuscriptassessments.com and Prints Charming Books. (Sally is me, by the way, and I am lots of other things too, but these are the relevant ones for now.)

The goal for 2017 is to write a post a day profiling the background behind one of my books; how it came to be written, what it's about, and any things of note that happened along the way. If you're an author, an aspiring author, a reader or just someone who enjoys windows into worlds, you might find this fun. The books are not in any special order, but will be assigned approximate dates, and pictures, where they exist.