The Zookeeper’s Daughter by Oliver Eade and Lara Isabelle Ruiz Eade: reviewed by Annie Clarke

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The Zookeeper’s Daughter is such a good book, but how did it come about?
Oliver Eade, award winning Young Adult author explains: ‘Written during the lockdown in collaboration with our 9-year-old Swiss granddaughter, this novel  is about a brave little girl who is determined to save endangered animals from being rendered extinct as a result of what humans are doing to the planet. Lara drew the short straw and had to do the illustrations. We dedicated the book to Sir David Attenborough, my life-long hero, and he wrote Lara a lovely thank you letter at 94!’
Frost Magazine was delighted to review this novel, for that’s what it is, rather than an indigestible polemic and Lara is to be congratulated on the illustrations. The Zookeeper’s Daughter explores  the world of endangered species using magic to transport Isabelle  into the body and environment of whatever animal is featured in each chapter. In this we we ‘see’  her experiences of their imagined life, and highlight the inherent danger.
At the same time it also explores Isabelle’s relationship with her younger brother, Joe,  Grumpy Gramps, and her friend. Relationships which grow stronger as their understanding of the Lara’s concerns come home to roost.
But let Oliver Eade tell us a bit more:
In December 2019, my wife and I were enjoying Christmas with our Swiss granddaughters in the Alpine village of Leysin. The younger girl, Lara Isabelle, informed me that she wanted to illustrate one of my children’s books as her elder sister, Olivia, had done two years back. The challenge was set. I was still struggling with my latest young adult novel, The Fire Hills, and welcomed a return to writing for a younger age group. Knowing nothing about the dark menace of Covid-19 coronavirus that had already crossed over from a wild animal to the people of Wuhan in China, our granddaughters’ love of animals came to mind as I wracked my brain for a story to tell. Lara and I sat together and discussed my idea: a half-Swiss, half-Scottish daughter of a zookeeper, fed up with her annoying little brother, is devastated to learn she will not be visiting her Swiss ‘mamie’ (granny) that summer. Her wish to escape the boredom of spending summer with little Joe and their grumpy Scottish grandfather, and to be free like all those lucky wild animals, comes true when a magical spider emerges from a cuddly white chamois her grandmother gave her, and weaves a golden web that can transport her into the worlds of wild animals in a very special book from an old zoo employee who is ill in hospital. Soon after I began writing Lara’s book, the threat of a serious pandemic changed from just another news item to a dreaded reality that now dominates all our lives. I completed the first draft during the early stages of lockdown two months later. Never had I finished a novel within such a short space of time …’
Courtesy of Isabelle
The review team enjoyed The Zookeeper’s Daughter enormously, in part because of the vibrancy of the illustrations (bravo Lara) and of course, because of the certain hand of Oliver Eade guiding and crafting  the structure, and scenes, not to mention his experience as a skilled writer.
So often these novels become worthy and bang on relentlessly about the particular cause they are highlighting, but The Zookeper’s Daughter is multi faceted, cleverly imagined, thought provoking and – so importantly – great fun.
Bravo both of you. A triumph. Vibrant and enchanting.
The Zookeeper’s Daughter by Oliver Eade and Lara Isabelle Ruiz Eade is available at Amazon.co.uk in eBook or pb.
Annie Clarke is the author of the Home Front Girls series. 

SISTER SCRIBES: JANE CABLE ON TAKING THE SOFTWARE OPTION

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Plotter or notter? Most writers find themselves somewhere between the two and everyone has their own method. Some are wedded to post-its and pinboards; others long pages of notes. Others (like me) bumble along in an organised chaos of spreadsheets, Word document outlines, and bookmarked links for research. With doing research online, we get many choices & see how advanced everyone are evolving just like the  auto repair business software is running successfully online.

I always promised myself that one day, all that muddle would change. Next time I started a new project it would be different. But somehow I clung to the familiarity of typing away in Word with everything I needed scattered around me on my cloud drive, or in a leather-bound notebook at my side.

So – new book, new broom. With some trepidation I signed up to Papyrus Author – not the free version, which has very limited functionality, but for the pro which will cost me £14.99 a month. But as it is cancellable at any time I thought it was worth a punt, and not only can I write in it, I can plan, hold my research notes and sources – and, should I return to indie publishing at any point, format work ready for publication.

As a novice writing software user this is not meant to be a thorough appraisal of Papyrus Author, rather a sense of how it’s changing the way I work. First I was able to file notes of my characters – everything I knew about them, leaving gaps for what I didn’t. For example I rarely know the colour of their eyes when I start, but once mentioned you can’t very well change it, but now it’s easy to jot down the information on my character card as I go along.

It’s the same for places. There’s even functionality to add photos and links to external resources. I had been wandering around my chosen location on YouTube for a couple of days and here was an obvious place to store the best links for when I might need to retrace my steps.

Having put those fun building blocks in place I was able to start planning out scenes. Yes, planning. One scene at a time, not just a vague roadmap. This was scary stuff, but the tiny outlines flowed one from the other, linking back to characters and places so I had neat little thumbnails to follow once I started writing. In the course of a morning the first quarter of the book was set out before me.

So – to write. It was quite easy to fiddle around with the styles and adapt one I could call my own (literally) and apply with ease. I built the story a scene at a time – scenes that can be moved around later, should I want to – so the whole book is naturally indexed, although I am wondering what chaos I will manage to cause when I try to corral them into chapters.

But best of all for me is the is a distraction free mode to write in. Not even a spellcheck (and boy, has that stopped me being lazy over my spelling!). Words tumble onto the page. Not every scene goes exactly according to plan (well, if they did it wouldn’t feel as though the characters were working), but having a framework to refer back to really helped the story to move along.

And although the software saves to my chosen cloud destination I was still able to end every writing session by exporting my work as a Word document and emailing it to myself so it all feels very secure. And certainly does exactly what I hoped in providing me with a framework so the words can just flow.

Endless Skies by award winning author Jane Cable: reviewed by Annie Clarke

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A fabulously crafted novel from award winning author, Jane Cable, who seamlessly merges the 2nd World War with present day. Not easy, but Cable makes it seem so.

So, let’s meet Rachel Ward, Cable’s main character, who is as flawed as many of us, though perhaps some of us avoid her particular failing which is falling repeatedly for a wrong ‘un. Oh yes she does, and is yet again having to extricate herself from a dead end affair, this time with her married boss.

Unsurprisingly she is forced to leave her long term posting in Southampton, and the love affair,  and head for a temporary role as an Archaeology Lecturer at Lincoln University.

But does a change of scene make any difference? Will she still run full pelt towards disaster when a male student makes it clear he is attracted to her, or will she sort herself out, once and for all, and stop all this self induced pain. But in order to find some balance in her life, and in her emotions, does she need to reflect on why she repeats this self-destructive behaviour? If so, how can she brings this journey of self discovery about?

 In an effort to prevent herself heading for the immediate danger she distracts herself with extra work – for Jonathan Daubney, a property developer.

It is through Jonathan that she visits a 2nd World War RAF base, a base that gives off a disturbing atmosphere. But why?

Well, she wanted a distraction, and it seems she has that in spades as she delves into the local history of life at the RAF station during that painful period.

As well as meeting new friends, she finds a world that might well lead her towards a greater understanding of herself, and towards a happier future. Echoes … echoes …

With a father who was a Battle of Britain pilot I know something about the world Rachel reveals (or Jane Cable I should say) and let me tell you, it’s pretty damned accurate. 

A delicate, thought provoking heartfelt exploration of balance, emotional patterns and love.  Bravo Jane Cable, a triumph, but this is nothing less that I would expect from this outstanding author.

 

Endless Skies by award winning author Jane Cable  availabe in pb and eBook

Annie Clarke is the author of the Girls on the Home Front series, and also writes as Margaret Graham and Milly Adams.

Geomag Magicube Free Building Set of 24 Magnetic Blocks

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Geomag Magicube free building set of 24 Magnetic blocks

Out of all of the toys I have reviewed these Magicubes from Geomag are the ones I recommend the most. They are magnetic building blocks and so clever and versatile. They teach children colours, counting and how to use their imagination. Building the blocks is great for their coordination.

You can use these blocks to teach your children so many different things. They are a great tool for teaching.

Geomag Magicube free building set of 24 Magnetic blocks has the basics of stem and the magnets help build shapes easily. There are available here. I cannot recommend them enough, and neither can my children.

 

Saicho Tea – A Healthy And Surprisingly Delicious Glass of ‘Fizz’ – by Dr Kathleen Thompson

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A glass of wine with your meal is the default. But what if you don’t drink wine, or you’re simply trying to cut down on alcohol? Previously it would be a rather boring, sugary drink or a glass of water, but now some innovative alternatives are appearing, with just as much ‘treat factor’ as wine.

I’m particularly impressed by Saicho Tea, developed by Charlie and Natalie Winkworth-Smith. Natalie is from Hong Kong and so understands the fantastic world of amazing teas, which, FYI, is a little more involved than ‘builder’s’ versus Earl Grey.

In China there are whole streets devoted to tea-sellers where you can sample some of the world’s best teas. Experts ‘know’ the different teas, as a sommelier knows good wines – they can tell you about the type, the size of leaf, the estate and terroir, the grade, what ‘flush’ (harvesting time) – and it all makes a difference to the taste, enjoyment – and price –you can absolutely pay as much for a good tea as a very good wine.

The leaves of Camellia sinensis have many attributed health benefits, including boosting immunity, reducing heart disease and obesity. Certainly they are rich in anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals and some studies back up these claims. As a doctor, I’ve been particularly interested in the claimed anti-cancer properties of green tea.

But now Saicho have taken the leap of developing a tea-based sparkling drink, more akin to prosecco than your morning cuppa.

They’ve taken three teas with distinct and different properties and cold-brewed each one for twenty-four hours to extract the delicate and complex flavours. They’ve aerated the liquid and added a small amount of grape juice to complement the natural umami of the tea.

The three distinct teas complement different foods and so are perfect for a special meal.

First I tried Hojicha, made by roasting Japanese Bancha green tea, apparently it pairs well with Asian salads or cured meats. I really liked it. A strong and complex mixture of flavours, mainly on the side and back of the tongue, which appeared and developed over several minutes, all mixed with the delicate slight sweetness of the grape juice. The fizziness was reminiscent of a pleasant sparking wine. Chilled definitely worked best.

The Saicho Darjeeling – appropriately known as the champagne of teas was a deep yellow ochre, resembling a muscadet, and indeed its flavor has been described as muscatel, and it’s good with grilled meats.

Finally, and maybe no surprise, Saicho have used a green tea from the Fuding mountains of China, infused with jasmine flowers. This is much paler, and I note they have incorporated natural oak flavours, perhaps to emulate a chardonnay? This is delicious chilled, and works well with deserts.

So which is my favourite? I can recommend them all – a real treat, with health benefits and no hangover – well worth a try at just £8.99 a bottle. Available at Saicho Drinks, Borough Box, The Whisky Exchange, Yumbles and The Artisan General Store

                                                            

By Dr K Thompson, award winning author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q

http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.

BEST-SELLING AUTHOR LIZZIE CHANTREE ON NETWORKING FOR WRITERS

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Are you swamped with book marketing and looking for a way to find new readers? Do you feel that you spend more of your day looking at social media than writing? You aren’t alone! Writing books can be an incredible way to meet likeminded people in the writing community, but it can also feel quite isolating at times. There is so much talent around that imposter syndrome can sink it’s greedy claws into you and make you procrastinate, or doubt your journey. Now is the time to shake that off, believe in yourself and to take a good look at the balance between writing time and marketing. Can you streamline what is actually working for you and what is not?

Whether you are a new or experienced writer, self-published or traditionally published, there are ways to grow your readership and author network, through some of the most powerful of all marketing tools – word of mouth and recommendation.  In my latest book, Networking for writers, I explain how to use simple and effective networking approaches, to grow your readership and connect with other authors and book lovers.

When I published my first book, I had no idea about marketing and even the thought of the word made my legs tremble. Today, I see it as an interesting and exciting part of my day, that doesn’t eat into my writing time. What a difference a few years can make. I have been very fortunate that all of my books to date have become international bestsellers in multiple categories and I believe this is due to my network. I ran my own award winning retail and wholesale business and worked as a competition judge and mentor for many years, before I began my writing career and I had already built a strong network around me, which helped me launch a writing career, even as an unknown author. My first contemporary romance book, Babe Driven, still sits in the bestseller lists, seven years after it was first published. I attribute this to my incredible community of support, which grows daily, due to easy to learn techniques.

Networking is about being social, but it is also about structure, discipline and focus. In my book I offer insight into the tools I use to stay productive, find writing time and to have room left to step away from work and give myself space to breathe and let creativity blossom.

In Networking for writers, I talk about author branding and why it’s important, groups that help writers thrive, how to grow your social media organically and I give tips about how a few straightforward tweaks can make marketing much more affective. I mention how I learnt to host multi-author book signings, run seminars about networking and event planning, to have a strong social media following and more. These skills have given me a great foundation, not only to write fiction books about feisty entrepreneurs, but to be able to share my networking ideas with my readers, in the hope that it helps them to follow their own dreams and creative path.

 

Lizzie Chantree started her own business at the age of 18 and became one of Fair Play London and The Patent Office’s British Female Inventors of the Year in 2000. She discovered her love of writing fiction when her children were little and now works as a business mentor and runs a popular networking hour on social media. She writes books full of friendship and laughter, that are about women with unusual and adventurous businesses, who are far stronger than they realise. She lives with her family on the coast in Essex. Visit her website at www.lizziechantree.com.

 

 

My Writing Process Taryn Leigh

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writerMy Writing Routine

I try to write whenever I can have moments alone, which are long enough for me to take my mind into the world of my characters.

Because writing currently isn’t my full time profession, this means that I cannot have a formal writing routine, but instead have to write when I get the chance.

My name is Taryn Leigh, and I’m a South African based Author, whose first book was published in the UK.

Although I write books that are considered to be romance or contemporary fiction novels, I try to ensure the reader can walk away with something of value after reading the book. Because of that, my books deal with real life struggles that women endure.

My first book was called Perfect Imperfections, and is available in Paperback, Audiobook and on Kindle.

My current book is called The Secret Letters and launched on 09 August in Paperback and Kindle.

What you are promoting now. 

My latest novel, The Secret Letters, which deal’s with real topics of gender based violence, and the mental battle that comes with that.

It’s also a story of love and hope, and how to overcome your worst nightmares, especially in the arms of someone who loves you.

A bit about your process of writing. 

I look out for stories that peak my interest, and then I let them mull over in my mind for a while, as I start to imagine the lives of the characters, as if they are real people. Only once I feel that they feel real to me do I start to put pen to paper and plan things more formally.

Do you plan or just write?

I have a very broad plan. Mostly the main characters and main events. I normally know how it should start, when the big reveal should be, and how it should end.

The rest, I just write and see how the characters develop over time, who they meet, and what additional relationships are formed.

What about word count?

I am conscious of it, but more towards the end of the book, because if I worry about it the whole time, I won’t get the story out.

I aim for 80,000 words or more, that can then be edited down during the editing process.

What do you find hard about writing?

Finding time to be alone, the rest, I absolutely look forward to.

The other part is editing and writing a blurb. It seems so hard to condense over 400 pages into a few lines.

What do you love about writing? 

Meeting my characters. Might sound strange, but they feel like real people to me. They make me laugh and cry as I write their stories. They take me on adventures, I just love it.

Advice for other writers

Find your own voice and be authentic. Don’t try to write for the mainstream. You need to believe in what you are writing and the story will just flow.

Also dont give up, even when you feel stuck in the book, just keep going, it will all come together eventually.

 

Anker PowerCore III Fusion 5K

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anker phone charger, anker, PowerCore III Fusion 5K

This clever phone charger is such a life saver. The plug charges your phone but it is also a power brick and you can charge it away from the wall. You just plug in the wire (not included) and away you go. It looks great and is intelligent design. What more could you want?

The High-Speed Charger and Power Bank Hybrid

Power For Every Situation

One device is all you need to power your phone or tablet anywhere—whether at home or on-the-road. Plug into an outlet to charge phones and tablets at high-speed via the 18W USB-C port, or get a full charge for your phone away from the wall.

Simultaneous Charging

Equipped with both an 18W USB-C port and a 12W USB-A port to support charging to dual devices at the same time. Note: Both ports share a 15W total output.

Superior Safety

Exclusive MultiProtect safety system combines overvoltage protection, temperature control, and more so you can charge with total peace of mind.

Rapid Recharge

Plug into a wall outlet to fully recharge the internal battery in just over 2½ hours.

Compatibility:

• iPhone 11, 11 Pro, XS, XS Max, XR, X, 8 Plus, 8

• iPad Pro 2018

• Galaxy S10/S10+/S10e

• Google Pixel

Notes:

The USB-C port is output only.

Please use an MFi certified Lightning cable (not included) to charge Apple products.

Disconnect your Lightning cable while not using to avoid battery draining.

The Anker PowerCore III Fusion 5K is available here.