The Bird Said Nothing - New Story - New eBook

 

Well, I’ve done it. A first for me. I have published a new book, The Bird Said Nothing, in eBook form only, unlike my previous 80 books which have all been released first by a major publisher. I have said previously that I prefer traditional paper books, and this is still true. However I have to accept that many people enjoy eBooks. There are also benefits for the author as one can obtain instant exposure in overseas markets such as the United States and the UK. And of course, I am in total control of the text, design and the publishing date.

Like most of us, I once ran away from home. When I was aged 5 I informed my parents I was leaving and they waved me off at the gate. I stopped about 200m from home where I reached the edge of my known territory, and shame faced returned home.  In hindsight I have no doubt that my parents were keeping a distant eye on me but I remember it as a painful experience. I have heard of parents even packing lunch for the escaper and it is often seems to me, that it is cruel to gleefully remind a child of how powerless they are. I have sometimes wondered what would happen if a runaway landed in some happy place and chose not to return?

This reflection was the germ that led to my new story. Apart from this, I don’t know where the bird who said ‘Nothing’ came from, and it was not until I’d finished the story that I started to get a full appreciation of what I had written. It’s a fairy tale.  And like all fairy tales it contains mysteries within mysteries.

One of the questions that publishers always ask when I give them a new manuscript is, ‘Who is it for?’. Usually I can answer this question easily. The Rascal books are for infants, The Nest is for older teenagers and The Reading Bug is for adults. But this tale has me perplexed and I can only answer with a question of my own.

Who is Red Riding Hood for? I just saw a recently released movie in which the Red Riding Hood story uses gothic horror and is definitely for adults only. I first read one version when I was six. Just as some stories reach to us through the ages, other stories reach all ages.

In the end it’s for anyone who gets something out of it. 

I hope that’s you.