November News

I hope you’re keeping cosy as the colder weather closes in! It’s been a busy few weeks here, both on the Ferdinand Fox front – and with The Secret Lake travelling the globe again. 😊

Ferdinand Fox Saves the Day — early reviews + a Black Friday FREE eBook offer! 🦊 📚

Illustration of a fox navigating city rooftops with scenes of mischievous activity in the background, including thieves in black and a moonlit urban landscape.

Thank you so much to everyone who has already shared reviews of Ferdinand Fox Saves the Day. I’ve been bowled over by the wonderful feedback — from parents, teachers, and young readers alike. It’s always nerve-racking launching a new book and your responses have been amazing! Below are just a few excerpts from Amazon and Goodreads – you’ll find more online. I have a Zoom visit in a couple of weeks with a class in Bulgaria, whose pupils all have the book and apparently love all of the stories! I’ll share photos next time. ❤️

Meanwhile, in the spirit of upcoming Black Friday week, if you’d like to road test the collection with your children for free (or simply read it for your own enjoyment!), scroll down to find details of a time-limited free eBook offer! 😊

Amazon and Goodreads early reviews

Collage of book reviews for 'Ferdinand Fox Saves the Day' featuring positive feedback and star ratings from readers, set against a fall-themed background.

Free eBook — Black Friday Week (Hurry! Ends midnight 25th Nov!)

If you’re after a Christmas gift for a child in your life, Ferdinand Fox Saves the Day is a lovely option for boys and girls aged 6–8 — or a cosy read-aloud for ages 5+.

With that in mind, and as an early nod to Black Friday week, the Kindle/eBook edition is FREE to download on Amazon for the next three days (link below – offer ends midnight your time on Tuesday 25th November). This way you can simply enjoy the digital version with your children, or sample it and buy in print as a surprise gift if you enjoy the stories. 😊 To read it on your phone or tablet, download the free Kindle App if you don’t have it already.

Cover image of the children's book 'Ferdinand Fox Saves the Day' featuring a fox and text promoting the book's rhyming stories, with a background of candles and a cozy setting.

I do hope it brings you and the children or grandchildren in your life a smile – Ferdinand is such a kind and endearing character. And always misunderstood by humans. ❤️

Tap or click here to grab your free eBook (time limited) – opens in new tab
Free to read on any Kindle, tablet or phone – just download the free Kindle app.
TOP TIP: The images are in colour, so a phone or tablet will give the best experience.

If you do enjoy the collection, please do take a moment to leave a short review online — it will help Amazon show it more widely. 😊 🦊

Thank you. And, of course, if you go on to buy it in print, that would be wonderful!

The Secret Lake — new foreign editions on the way

In other news, I’m delighted to share that two more translated editions of The Secret Lake series are coming very soon:

🇯🇵 The Japanese edition of The Secret Lake — publishing at the end of November. Below is the front and back cover spread. I love the water colour. What do you think? I can’t wait to receive my print copies and will share photos when they arrive.
🇨🇳 The Simplified Chinese edition of Book 2, Return to the Secret Lake — arriving in December. The cover looks absolutely wonderful but I’m not yet allowed to share it. I’ll do so next time.

The series is in 13 languages in all — proving that children everywhere love escaping into traditional adventure stories with portals to other times or worlds..!

The Secret Lake – Japanese front and back cover artwork

Two children runningg along a path in a lush forest, heading towards a serene lake with a small boat in the distance. The Japanese edition cover for The Secret Lake by Karen Inglis

Meeting and hearing from my readers — from Georgia to New York!

I’ve had more book club visits over the last couple of months, including another lovely mother-and-daughter group in New York.

Meanwhile, fifth-grade pupils at GRACEPOINT School in Georgia wrote to me this week to tell me how much they enjoyed The Secret Lake. Their letters, seen in the collage below, were beautifully written, and so thoughtful! This is a specialist school for pupils with dyslexia, which looks and sounds amazing.

5th Grade pupils from GRACEPOINT school in Georgia after reading The Secret Lake

A group of seven children standing in front of a world map, each holding up copies of 'The Secret Lake' book, smiling and celebrating.

Letters from 5th graders at GRACEPOINT School

A collage of handwritten letters from students expressing their thoughts about 'The Secret Lake', placed against a green background with trees.

A week in Las Vegas — and a key tip for writers

We authors don’t get out much (!), but at the start of November I did make it over to Las Vegas for a week-long writers’ conference. The weather was fantastic (around 80°F / high 20s all week!) — and my husband and I took the chance to visit the West Rim of the Grand Canyon the day after we arrived. It’s been on my bucket list forever and I’m so glad I finally made it – it was truly breathtaking!

Collage of three pics. View of the Grand Canyon West Rim from a glass bridge with visitors enjoying the scenery. Hand holding a copy of The Secret Lake against a backdrop of the 'Eiffel Tower' at Paris, Las Vegas

The rest of the week was packed with fascinating sessions on writing craft, book marketing and new technologies — including tools for creating personally signed eBooks (yes, really!). These are still in testing, but I’m excited to see where they lead and I have early access to the beta program.

The conference took place in a hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, just by ‘Paris’ – seen in the snap above with my handy copy of The Secret Lake, which I later donated to another author’s daughter. I had no idea that Las Vegas was made up of all of these replica European landmarks! The photo below was taken in ‘Venice’ which had waterways and gondolas on the second floor, along with fake blue sky. LOL! What fun 😆 — but rather an assault on the senses!

A person poses in front of a colorful display inspired by The Wizard of Oz at a shopping center in Las Vegas, while on the right, gondolas glide through a canal in a replica of Venice, showcasing ornate architecture and vibrant lights.

The conference closed with a live interview with half-billion (!) selling thriller author James Patterson, who shared his key tip for new (and all) writers: “Be there.”

He said he has these two words written at the top of each blank manuscript before he starts writing.

By this he means, ‘be in the scene with the characters– experience the action and emotion with them as you write.’ This is what will draw your reader in. This resonated hugely with me. When I’m deep in a story, I’m right there with the characters — if my thoughts could project onto the wall you’d wonder where you were! (BTW, James Patterson writes everything in longhand! Can you imagine?!)

Until December…

Don’t forget: Ferdinand Fox Saves the Day is FREE on Kindle until Tuesday 25th November, midnight your time. 🦊

Tap or click here to grab your free eBook (ends 25th Nov) – opens in new tab

Feel free to share the link with friends, and don’t forget to take a quick moment to leave a review! 😊

I’ll be back in touch again in early December with more news, including photos from an upcoming event I have at The Notting Hill Bookshop (yes the bookshop from the film with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts ❤️ ❤️!).

With warm (or freezing cold, rather!) wishes from London,

Karen