Category: Blog post

Fox Update, Foreign Editionsโ€ฆ and a Dash of Las Vegas!

A boy and a girl running towards a lake with a boat rowing towards them. Watercolour style. Woodland around them. The front cover of the Japanese edition of The Secret Lake by Karen Inglis

November News

I hope youโ€™re keeping cosy as the colder weather closes in! Itโ€™s been a busy few weeks here, both on the Ferdinand Fox front โ€“ and with The Secret Lake travelling the globe again. ๐Ÿ˜Š

Ferdinand Fox Saves the Day โ€” early reviews + a Black Friday FREE eBook offer! ๐ŸฆŠ ๐Ÿ“š

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. Iโ€™ve been bowled over by the wonderful feedback โ€” from parents, teachers, and young readers alike. Itโ€™s always nerve-racking launching a new book and your responses have been amazing! Below are just a few excerpts from Amazon and Goodreads โ€“ 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. โค๏ธ

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! ๐Ÿ˜Š

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 โ€” Black Friday Week (Hurry! Ends midnight 25th Nov!)

If you’re after a Christmas gift for a child in your life,ย Ferdinand Fox Saves the Dayย is a lovely option for boys and girls aged 6โ€“8 โ€” 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 isย FREE to download on Amazon for the next three daysย (link below โ€“ 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. ๐Ÿ˜Š 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 โ€“ Ferdinand is such a kind and endearing character. And always misunderstood by humans. โค๏ธ

If you do enjoy the collection, please do take a moment to leave a short review online โ€” it will help Amazon show it more widely. ๐Ÿ˜Š ๐ŸฆŠ

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

The Secret Lake โ€” new foreign editions on the way

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

  • ๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต The Japanese edition of The Secret Lake โ€” 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.
  • ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ The Simplified Chinese edition of Book 2, Return to the Secret Lake โ€” arriving in December. The cover looks absolutely wonderful but I’m not yet allowed to share it. Iโ€™ll do so next time.

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

The Secret Lake โ€“ 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 โ€” from Georgia to New York!

Iโ€™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 โ€” and a key tip for writers

We authors donโ€™t get out much (!), but at the start of November I did make it over to Las Vegas for a week-long writersโ€™ conference. The weather was fantastic (around 80ยฐF / high 20s all week!) โ€” 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 โ€“ 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 โ€” including tools for creating personally signed eBooks (yes, really!). These are still in testing, but Iโ€™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’ โ€“ 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 ๐Ÿ˜† โ€” 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: โ€œBe there.โ€

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 charactersโ€“ experience the action and emotion with them as you write.’ This is what will draw your reader in. This resonated hugely with me. When Iโ€™m deep in a story, Iโ€™m right there with the characters โ€” if my thoughts could project onto the wall youโ€™d wonder where you were! (BTW, James Patterson writes everything in longhand! Can you imagine?!)

Until December…

Donโ€™t forget: Ferdinand Fox Saves the Day is FREE on Kindle until Tuesday 25th November, midnight your time. ๐ŸฆŠ

Feel free to share the link with friends, and don’t forget to take a quick moment to leave a review! ๐Ÿ˜Š

Iโ€™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 โค๏ธ โค๏ธ!).

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

Karen

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Autumn updates from London โ€” and a fox who saves the day ๐ŸฆŠ๐Ÿ‚

Hello from a sunny London!
Itโ€™s a crisp and beautiful autumn day here with the blue skies a welcome change after recent rain and grey clouds. As the leaves start to turn, here’s hoping for some spectacular colours after such a warm summer. (I once followed the changing autumn colours down the east coast of the USโ€” it was breathtaking!)

Moving on to my writing life, I have some exciting news about Ferdinand Fox โ€” and a few new adventures that I think you and your young readers will enjoy.

๐ŸฆŠ Ferdinand Fox Saves the Day โ€” Out Now!

Iโ€™m thrilled to share that Ferdinand Fox Saves the Day โ€” a six-story illustrated collection for readers aged 6โ€“8 โ€” is now available!

Fox trotting across a building ledge late at night

Encouraging reading for pleasure

This special edition brings together three brand-new stories with my three original picture-book fox tales in a lively illustrated chapter-book format designed to inspire a love of reading. My aim was to create a book that bridges the gap between picture books and early chapter books โ€” keeping the rhythm and fun of rhyme while offering enough text to stretch early reading skills and hold a childโ€™s attention.

The short, self-contained stories are designed to make it easy for children to dip in and out, revisit their favourites, or share them with younger siblings โ€” perfect for home reading or classroom story time. ๐Ÿ˜Š

Four of the tales are action-packed page-turners full of adventure, mischief, and quick thinking, while the remaining two show Ferdinandโ€™s gentler, big-hearted side โ€” the qualities that make him so endearing to readers of all ages.

A huge thank-you to my advance readers who helped me shape the format for this edition; all were adamant that they wanted scattered illustrations throughout! I suspected this would be the case, but wanted to be sure. ๐Ÿ˜Š

Illustration from 'Ferdinand Fox, the Kittens and the Alley Monster' showing Ferdinand Fox with kittens and a background of flowers.

And, needless to say, a huge thank-you to Andrew Smith, whose beautiful artwork perfectly captures Ferdinandโ€™s character and the different settings!

Illustrated pages from 'Ferdinand Fox and the Break-In', featuring a fox on a ledge and in a kitchen with food, capturing a whimsical and adventurous scene.

๐Ÿ‘‰ Available now on Amazon if you search in your country, and coming soon to all online and high-street bookshops. Quick links below. (US and UK are affiliate links from which I earn a small fee at no cost to you.)

Order on Amazon US โ†’
Order on Amazon UK โ†’
Order on Amazon CA โ†’
Order on Amazon AUD โ†’

I hope you and your children enjoy! Please do write or comment and let me know. ๐ŸฆŠ

๐ŸŽ„ Coming Soon โ€” The Christmas Tree Wish in Italian!

Iโ€™m also delighted to share that the Italian edition, Il Desiderio dell’Albero di Natale should be out next week!

The front cover of the Italian edition of The Christmas Tree Wish by Karen Inglis, translated by Elena Papaleo. Four smiling fir trees and a snowy background.

Itโ€™s been wonderful seeing this gentle festive story translated by the hugely talented Elena Papaleo โ€” she took great care in explaining her interpretations, and I canโ€™t wait for Italian readers to meet the little tree who dreams of being chosen for Christmas. ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡นโœจ

Don’t forget that you can order The Christmas Tree Wish in English, French (Martin le Sapin de Noรซl), or German (Chris Christbaums Weihnachtstraum). Search by title online.

๐Ÿ“š The Secret Lake โ€” Japanese Edition on the Way!

In other foreign news, I’ve heard that the Japanese edition of The Secret Lake is due out in late November. The cover, which Iโ€™ll be able to share later this month, features stunning watercolour artwork โ€” a truly magical interpretation that I think readers will love. My son will be in Japan in November so I’m hoping he can snap a picture in a bookshop!

๐Ÿ’ฌ Virtual Book Club Visits

I recently had a wonderfully relaxed session with a mother and daughter book club in Florida, chatting with 9โ€“11-year-olds whoโ€™d just finished The Secret Lake. We talked about their favourite books, how I get story ideas, and how I plan characters and plots. They even had a sneak peek at Ferdinandโ€™s upcoming cover!

Two young girls holding copies of 'The Secret Lake' by Karen Inglis during a virtual book club session, smiling at the camera. A woman with glasses and a scarf is also smiling in the bottom half of the image, indicating active participation in the discussion.

Clara has apparently already gone on to buy books 2 and 3 and devoured them! I have another US session coming up later in the month which I’m equally looking forward to โ€“ like most authors, I love meeting my readers!

If youโ€™d like to book a virtual author visit โ€” for your home book club or school class โ€” do get in touch. Sessions can be from 30 up to 60 minutes, and I love connecting with readers wherever they are in the world.
๐Ÿ‘‰ Contact me via my website โ†’
๐Ÿ‘‰ View my School visits page

๐Ÿฆ Garden Robin Update

Finally, a little wildlife news! Those who follow me on Instagram will know that I have a pair of friendly robins in my garden. By early 2025, both were feeding from my hand. I named them Robbie and Roberta.

Robbie first appeared on his own two years ago, and I was thrilled when I discovered that he had a ‘mate’ last November. They had a very busy nesting season, but I haven’t see Robbie since late July. The last time he visited, he sat on my hand with a distant look and not feeding. Roberta โ€“ who has that same look in the picture below taken a few weeks ago โ€“ is still visiting and still takes mealworms from my hand โ€” though sheโ€™s far quicker and shyer than Robbie, who used to perch calmly and look me in the eye while eating.

Iโ€™m hopeful Robbie will reappear before winter sets in. I think she’s missing him!

A close-up of a garden robin perched among green leaves and buds.

You can see more photos and videos over on my Instagram.

That’s it for now. I hope your children or pupils enjoy Ferdinand Fox Saves the Day if you order a copy. Please do let me know. And if you can take a moment to leave a short review on Amazon, Goodreads or your preferred store it would mean a lot to me, and help other families discover these fun stories.

Happy autumn once again, if that’s your season right now! And happy reading and rhyming!

Karen ๐Ÿ˜Š ๐Ÿ‚ ๐ŸฆŠ ๐Ÿ“š

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Midsummer News

Award Win, New Fox Project, and a Tale of Two Robins

Hello from London, where midsummer is well and truly here, delivering us a 30-degree heatwave just in time for the longest day of the year. Here in the UK most of us love long, lazy evenings in the garden with a glass of rosรฉ, but there is one fly in the ointment โ€“ most of us donโ€™t have air-conditioning! Thus the initial excitement really does wear off pretty quickly thanks to the attendant restless nights โ€“ wish us luck ๐Ÿ˜Ž.

Iโ€™ve been meaning to share this post ever since returning from a trip to Costa Rica in March. I only realised the other day that I hadnโ€™t done so (I think jet lag got the better of me), so here is a long-overdue update on whatโ€™s been happening this year.

Beyond the Secret Lake wins Childrenโ€™s Book Award

Back in March, while relaxing at a beach bar in Costa Rica (appropriately called Hemingwayโ€™s!), I received an unexpected message from London Book Fair where it had been announced that Beyond the Secret Lake had won the 2025 UK Selfies Award for the best independently published children’s book of 2024! Needless to say, I was thrilled; Iโ€™ve been shortlisted a few times before, but this was my first major win.

The award came with a cash prize, PR coaching, and an interview in the magazine BookBrunch talking about my writing process and the research that went into Beyond the Secret Lake. To read the full interview click or tap here.

A huge thank you to my author friend Jane Davis โ€“ winner of the first-ever Selfies Award in 2019 โ€“ who accepted the award on my behalf. I couldnโ€™t have asked for a more stylish stand-in โ€“ her outfit even matched the book cover! Follow this link to see a video of her accepting on my behalf.

A New Fox Story Collection for Ages 6โ€“7+

In the last few months, Iโ€™ve been working with my illustrator, Andrew Smith, on creating a single illustrated rhyming storybook collection of all six of my Ferdinand Fox rhyming tales.

Fox trotting along a back alley with a smile on his face. Wall and weeds/dandelions background.

The stories will include:

  • Ferdinand Fox and the Hedgehog (already a picture book)
  • Ferdinand Fox and the Lost Boy (already a picture book)
  • Ferdinand Fox, the Kittens and the Alley Monster
  • Ferdinand Fox and the Break-in
  • Ferdinand Fox’s Close Shave
  • Ferdinand Fox’s Big Sleep (already a picture book)

The three existing picture books are all hugely popular at my school visits. But the remaining three have sat in my virtual drawer for way too long and I have decided that this needs rectifying! The change in format is partly driven by budget, but also the fact that the remaining stories have quite complex plots for ages 3โ€“5.

I tested the collection idea with a small group of ‘advance readers’ aged 6-8+ from my newsletter by sending a mock-up and text describing where the images would go, as well as asking for preferred book size and number of illustrations. They were wonderfully enthusiastic and loved all of the stories ๐Ÿ˜Š. In response to that feedback, the collection will be in standard paperback size and aimed at children aged 6โ€“7+ to read to themselves or with the help of someone older, and will include scattered colour illustrations. See a couple of samples below.

Image of a double page spread with rhyming text and images of a fox and hedgehog in different poses

While there will not be an illustration for every scene, there are certainly enough to engage young readers as they move through the action. This also means that the stories could still happily be shared with younger children by parents who love rhyme (like me!), then the children can grow into reading them themselves.

Those of you familiar with the existing picture books will see that Andrew has reworked the Ferdinand Fox and the Hedgehog images to ensure a consistent illustration style in the new collection I love them! What do you think? He will do the same for Ferdinand Fox’s Big Sleep when he gets to it.

Below is the opening extract from Ferdinand Fox, the Kittens and the Alley Monster one of the as-yet ‘never published’ stories โ€“ complete with a sketch for the next image in line! ๐ŸฆŠ

Image of a draft spread from a rhyming fox story. Two colour illustrations and one sketch. Images show cat and kittens in a carboard box and fox eating a chicken drumstick.

A key theme of the longer stories within the collection is that Ferdinand Fox is an unsung hero โ€“ going out of his way to help those in trouble (be they animal or human) but never getting the credit. ๐Ÿ˜Š

I do hope you’ll enjoy the collection when it comes out, which is likely to be in September.

Celebrating World Book Day 2025 (back in March)

Before heading off to Costa Rica, I visited five schools for World Book Day week โ€“ as ever, it was a whirlwind of assemblies, readings, and brilliant questions from enthusiastic young readers. Hereโ€™s a photo from One Degree Academy in East London, where Year 4 pupils, who had been studying The Secret Lake, came armed with the most thoughtful questions. These in-person visits where I connect with my readers are always a highlight of my year, and such an uplifting reminder of why I love what I do!

Image of Karen Inglis children's author talking to an assembly hall of school pupils. A screen on the wall shows book titles and photos relating to the stories.

The Tale of Robbie and Roberta

Back on the theme of animals… I canโ€™t write this post without introducing my latest muses: two robins, Robbie and Roberta, who have been nesting in our garden for two years now and feed directly from my hand. Their daily visits have been a true delight โ€“ and who knows, perhaps a story will come from them in time. Here they are in action! (As I write, they are moulting! Who knew that robins moult?!)

Image of robin redbreast in Karen Inglis author's hand. This is Robbie
Robbie
Two robins sitting on garden outbuilding, looking a little dishevelled as they are moulting!
Robbie and Roberta – looking a bit dishevelled as they are moulting!

Secret Lake 4…? ๐Ÿšฃโ€โ™‚๏ธ

I have been getting emails asking about Book 4 in The Secret Lake series; the ideas for this are currently tumbling around in my mind, which is what always happens. At the moment, itโ€™s a case of โ€˜watch this spaceโ€™ until Tom, Stella, Emma, Lucy, Sophie, Hannah and Jack let me know that they are ready for me to start putting pen to paper.

In the meantime, Iโ€™m excited to share that following strong sales of The Secret Lake in China, Return to the Secret Lake is soon to be released in Chinese, and the Japanese edition of The Secret Lake (Book 1) is not far behind. I canโ€™t wait to see the covers and share them with you.

And here is the text from one lovely review posted on Amazon for Beyond the Secret Lake. Please do take a moment to help your children leave reviews; it means a lot to us and helps other families discover our stories.

Image of book review of Beyond the Secret Lake with five yellow stars and text "It's the best series I've ever read! If you like mystery you will LOVE this, it's a fantastic book. My daughter aged 8 was gripped from the start, ever night she demanded more and more chapter - we just couldn't put it down. She loved the ending and can't wait for the next book!

Thanks so much for reading, and for continuing to follow my journey. Iโ€™ll be back soon with more news. In the meantime, wishing you a wonderful start to the summer. Stay cool (or warm!) wherever you are

With warmest wishes,
Karen ๐Ÿšฃโ€โ™‚๏ธ ๐Ÿ“š ๐Ÿ˜Š โค๏ธ

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Ferdinand Fox and the Lost Boy: A New Adventure

Hello from a rather cold London. It’s been a jam-packed year, hence the rather long gap since my last post, but I am now excited to announce that Ferdinand Fox and the Lost Boy, the third book in my Ferdinand Fox rhyming picture book series here.

Image of fox sitting by a railway line with train approaching over a river and bridge - hills in background

In this new tale of bravery and friendship, Ferdinand stumbles upon a young boy who has fallen and sets out to help him. Young readers will quickly learn that Ferdinand, who is a kind and clever fox, is the unsung hero of the story. ๐ŸฆŠ๐Ÿ’–

As you will see above, the first two Ferdinand Fox stories were illustrated by Damir Kundaliฤ‡ โ€“ Damir did a fantastic job when the books came out 10 years ago. (He lives out in Bosnia so we had to duck and dive with time zones a bit, but it all worked out extremely well!)

For Ferdinand Fox and the Lost Boy the time felt right for a refresh of style, and for the last couple of months I’ve been working with UK-based illustrator, Andrew Smith. I hope you agree that he has done Ferdinand proud! Below is another spread where we see Ferdinand leading the policemen to where they find Michael, the little lost boy…

picture three policemen chasing a fox up a hill and separate image of young boy fallen and crying

Three more fox stories to come…!

I have completed six Ferdinand Fox stories in all โ€“ written when my children were toddlers โ€“ but only two have been out until now: Ferdinand Fox and the Hedgehog and Ferdinand Fox’s Big Sleep, both big hits at school visits.

‘So why such a delay in getting these other books out?’ I hear you ask. ๐Ÿ˜Š In short, rhyming stories can’t be translatedโ€“ because of the rhyme! With the cost of illustration, this makes it very hard to break even compared with non-rhyming picture books where the images can be reused for the foreign editions.

Happily, Ferdinand Fox has now earned his keep which means that his stories can now continue. ๐ŸฆŠ I have three more stories in the virtual drawer:

  • Ferdinand Fox and the Close Shave
  • Ferdinand Fox and the Break-In
  • Ferdinand Fox, the Kittens and the Alley Monster

In each, Ferdinand once again quietly saves the day. I plan to start bringing them out from next year and I shall, of course, keep you up to date on that. ๐Ÿ˜Š

Graphic of fox sitting smiling

Where to buy Ferdinand Fox and the Lost Boy

You can buy the eBook from Amazon to read on a Kindle (or other device using the Kindle App) right away. And if you’re in Kindle Unlimited you can read it for free. ๐Ÿ˜Š

The print copy should be available to order from Amazon this weekend, and from other retailers later in the month.

Middle-Grade Adventure Books – free or 0.99p/99c today and tomorrow

In other news, I’m delighted to share that ‘Eeek! The Runaway Alien’ โ€“ my illustrated chapter book about a soccer-mad alien who comes to Earth โ€“ is part of a special 48-hour eBook offer with 17 other wonderful middle-grade stories by author friends of mine.

Eeek is consistently my second-bestselling book at school visits for ages 7โ€“10, and many parents/teachers have told me how the story has transformed their reluctant reader children into eager bookworms. With its laugh-out-loud plot, fun illustrations and surprise ending it really does make reading fun again! Definitely worth grabbing 99p/99c if you’ve a 7-10 year old at home, and/or if you’d like to try it out before buying in print. Oh, and dads and grandads love it too LOL! ๐Ÿ“–โค๏ธ Offer is in the UK and US. I’m afraid that other territories won’t let me reduce the price due to the file size

Follow this link or tap the image to find out about this great offer (link opens in a new tab)

Image with a range of middle-grade book cover and promo text 'Middle Grade Reads 99c or Free Nov 15-16

The Secret Lake: free ebook for Amazon UK Prime members

On the topic of eBooks, my international bestselling time travel adventure The Secret Lake is currently free if you live in the UK and use Amazon Prime. I’m not sure how long this is for but do visit Amazon UK and grab the deal while you can (Affiliate link)

This magical story has now sold almost 3/4 of a million copies in English, and is in translation in 12 languages. It’s also loved by children and adults alike. ๐Ÿ˜Š

If you are not in the UK and you/your children prefer to read eBooks the whole Secret Lake series is also free if you are part of Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited programme.

Image of three Secret Lake books by Karen Inglis hovering above a pond with pink azaleas in the background.

With Christmas fast approaching, there couldn’t be a better time to introduce young readers aged 8+ to the series whether in print or as an eBook. With its short chapters, The Secret Lake is also perfect to read aloud to ages 6+ ๐Ÿ˜Š ๐Ÿ“š Check out The Secret Lake on Amazon in your country (Affiliate link)

World Book Day Week UK 2025 – Taking Bookings

I will be in touch again in the run-up to Christmas but just to say that I am now taking booking for in-person and virtual school visit for World Book Day week 2025. Thursday 6th March and Friday 7th March are now taken but I do have availability earlier in the week if your school is within 1.5 hours’ drive of Barnes, London.

Find out more on my School visits page here or drop me a line to find out more.

That’s it for now. I hope your plans for the upcoming holiday season are going well.

Karen

PS If you buy and enjoy Ferdinand Fox and the Lost Boy, please take a moment to leave a short review on Amazon. Thank you!

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The Secret Lake 3 ~ coming soon!

Hello from a sunny but cold London on 6th Nov 2023

Iโ€™ve had my head down for quite some time, so apologies for the long silence, but I’m very excited to let you know that after 8 months of research, plotting, writing, and editing,ย book 3 in The Secret Lake series is almost here!ย The image below shows the โ€˜holding coverโ€™, and further down you can link to a video of my unboxing it when it arrived last week. ๐Ÿ˜Š (If you don’t yet know the series, I’ve given an overview the end of this post.)

Beyond the Secret Lake – coming early 2024 – with its temporary cover ๐Ÿšฃโ€โ™€๏ธ

Beyond the Secret Lake

As you can see, the title isย Beyond The Secret Lake. Surprisingly, this took me a while to come up with โ€”I needed it to ‘fit’ with the first two and just couldn’t think of anything! Happily, I got there in the end and it makes perfect sense as, in this latest adventure, the children from both past and present travel outside of early 1900s London to a countryside estate where all is not as it seems! True to form, Stella, Tom, Lucy, Emma, Sophie, Jack (oh โ€” and Hannah!) took me in unexpected directions while working together to solve a mystery whose outcome would shape lives and futures forever. More on this in my next post!ย 

The early proof copy is currently being checked for any final tweaks, and I’ll be sharing the final cover design and book blurb in a few weeks. Publication is planned for early 2024. Coming in at 60,000 words itโ€™s a little longer thanย Return to the Secret Lake,ย and is suitable for strong readers from ages 8-12+ โ€”or to read aloud to ages 7+ who love adventure and mystery!

Advance Readers – your chance to ask to join my team

As withย Return to the Secret Lake, I am recruiting a small team of advance readers. In return, if you/they enjoy the book I can include excerpts of their advance reviews at the front of the published book if I receive them in time. My previous readers loved seeing their names in print!

If you or someone you know who has read books 1 and 2 is interested in joining the Advance Reader Team, please email me (see the ‘Contact’ page) with ‘Advance Reader Request’ in the email subject line. ย There have been a lot of requests via my newsletter, so good luck! I’ll reply with more details about how it works in the next couple of day, but in short I will send out advance copies in eBook or print in mid November. Feedback will be requested by a certain date โ€” probably late December/early January.

If you were part of the last team, Iโ€™d of course love to have you for Book 3!

Unboxing my uncorrected proof copies

Unboxing the uncorrected proof with its temporary cover last week

Cornwall Writer’s Retreat and Book 3 Research

In case you missed the previous blog post, it was at my Cornwall Writer’s Retreat last March ย where a lot of the research forย Beyond the Secret Lakeย took place. (Of course I had no idea of its title at that time!) Below are a couple of shots from the train journey down โ€” just some of the books I used to steep myself back in that time. Follow the link above and scroll down to see the beautiful house by the sea where we stayed!

Just some of the books I got lost in – The Edwardians was a charity shop find when out with my 98-year-old mother!

School visits, bookclub or birthday events: in person and online

In other news, I visited a large primary school near Hampton Court last week. It’s always a joy to connect with new young readers! If your school or book club would like an in-person or virtual author visit, please get in touch โ€” I’m happy to visit anywhere in the world! I’m also happy to pop in online for a birthday event. You can find out more and read testimonials on myย school visits page .

The Secret Lake series – at a glance

For those of you who may not know the series, in The Secret Lake Tom and Stella (aged 8 and 11), while trying to find their elderly neighbour’s missing dog in their Notting Hill communal gardens, discover a time tunnel and lake that lead them to their home and the Edwardian children living there 100 years earlier. Here they forge strong friendships, help a young boy who is in trouble, and uncover startling connections with the present.

In Return to the Secret Lake, one of their friends in past time has fallen dangerously ill and her best friend Lucy comes forward in time in search of their help. The children travel back down the time tunnel together where yet more challenges await. Loyalty, bravery and friendship across time are key themes in both books, together with a page-turning plot and unexpected twists and turns. ๐Ÿ˜Š Book 3 follows suit and will not disappoint!

That’s it for now. I’ll be posting again in the run-up to Christmas, and when the cover and blurb for Book 3 is available. In the meantime, happy reading! Follow me on Instagram. Follow me on Facebook.

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December update

Happy holidays, all! It’s freezing and snowy here in London, but the sun is shining so it’s looking beautiful out there. I hope you are all keeping warm! I’m a little late with this update but wanted to post before the year is out โ€” so here goes! (And if you’re still in need of a few extra presents, there may be something here for you! ๐Ÿ˜Š)

But first, I hope you enjoy this image, snapped in my garden earlier this week. I just love how the frost decorates the shrubs and trees!

Frost covered shrub with pink flower
From my garden earlier this week

The Christmas Tree Wish

If you’re still looking for something for the little ones, this heartwarming tale for ages 3-6 about hope and friendship is still as popular as ever! Gardners UK wholesalers have just run out so getting it from local bookshops will be tricky. However, the paperback is available on Amazon worldwide for delivery before Christmas. (If you enjoy sharing books on your tablet/ device with your children/grandchildren, the story is also available as an eBook with pop-up text via the link above.)

Christmas tree characters in a snowy scene beside the book 'The Christmas Tree Wish' by Karen Inglis and Anne Swift
Paperback and eBook available on Amazon

Eeek! The Runaway Alien makeover (free flip-book sample below!)

A new edition of Eeek! The Runaway Alien (the soccer-mad alien who came to Earth for the World Cup) is now out. It was long overdue a makeover and I’m delighted with the work of illustrator and layout artist, Rachel Lawston. I hope you enjoy! With the World Cup tournament in everyone’s minds (win or lose!), what better choice of stocking filler for 7-10 year-olds who love football (aka soccer) and humour! Described as ‘Laugh-out-loud funny!’ by LoveReading4KidsUK, Eeek! is still a firm favourite with both boys and girls. There’s an hilarious twist in Eeek! btw, but don’t tell the kids!

book cover with boy and football looking up at alien wearing a football scarf - the front cover of Eeek! The Runaway Alien by Karen Inglis

Tap or click here to read Chapters 1-3 of Eeek! as a flipbook on any device The flipbook sample comes complete with page-turning sounds!

Collage of images of alien, girl in catsuit outfit and young boy Charlie, from Eeek! the Runaway Alien chapter book

I’d love to know what your children think of the new design; please do email me to let me know!

Return to the Secret Lake audiobook is here!

The audiobook of Return to the Secret Lake came out this autumn. Whereas I narrated The Secret Lake, I knew this was a job for a professional โ€” the sequel comes in at twice the length of book one and has a much larger character cast, which would have been beyond my skills! After listening to around 15 audition samples, I chose British voice actor Eilidh Beaton. Her ability to assume the voices of so many different characters is astonishing, and I am in awe of how she managed to put in so many hours over a relatively short period and still sound so fresh. Eilidh has over 100 audiobooks to her name, so that probably explain things! Click or tap the image or the link below it to hear a free sample over on Amazon.

silhouette of young girl at night by a gate in woodland garden - the front cover of Return to the Secret Lake Audiobook by Karen Inglis
Click to hear a free sample on Amazon

โ€‹Click this link or the image to hear a free sample on Amazon. The excerpt is the scene in past time where Emma’s best friend Lucy is sneaking out of her house in the middle of the night to try to find the time tunnel and get help for Emma, who is dangerously ill.

Thank you for your feedback! โญโญโญโญโญ

At the time of writing I’ve sold close to 9,000 copies of Return to the Secret Lake in the English language and the story has received nearly 400 ratings/reviews on Amazon with 83% 5-Star. This is truly heartwarming, especially as it was a rather nerve-wracking book to write following on from the success of book one! Children and adults say they especially love the mix of real history with a page-turning plot.

I am extremely grateful that no one so far has inadvertently included spoilers in their reviews โ€” those who have read the book will know what I mean by this!

The German edition has also been extremely well received, and I’ve also just sold the Czech rights to Grada Publishing, whose readers loved book one!

Front cover of the German Edition of Return to the Secret Lake - girl standing by a gate at night

If you’ve bought and enjoyed Return to the Secret Lake, or its German translation, please do take a moment to leave a short review online as it will help other families find the story. Thank you!

The Secret Lake: illustrated Spanish edition coming soon!

In other exciting news, over the summer a major Spanish publisher bought the rights to The Secret Lake and is creating a colour illustrated version, which I hope will be out in 2023. I even got to choose from their final shortlist of illustrators, and have since been commenting on her pencil illustrations, which are amazing! I can’t wait to share the final result with you once it’s out! Watch this space ๐Ÿ˜Š.

Spanish flag with inset image of girl by lake and a copy of The Secret Lake by Karen Inglis

Books from past time…

Earlier this year, my husband’s aunt died at the incredible age of 103. Before her house was sold, her daughter asked if I’d like to take a look through her collection of children’s books. Of course, I couldn’t resist. Below is a small sample of those I brought home โ€” I’m sure that some older readers here will recognise at least some of them. The Water Babies is an 1899 Edition!

Another interesting fact is that Anne Logue (my husband’s aunt who owned these books) was married to Valentine Logue, son of Lionel Logue who was speech and language therapist to King George VI, and a main character portrayed in the film The King’s Speech. She said that her husband said that the somewhat downtrodden family apartment featured in the film was not accurate at all! The Logues apparently lived in a far grander property in Bolton Gardens, which is a very upmarket part of London!

Would you like a school visit?

Before I go, just to say please do get in touch or look at the school visits page here on my website if you think your child’s primary/prep/elementary school would like an in-person or virtual visit. For older pupils or secondary schools I can run talks on how books get made and writing and publishing in the digital age. I am mostly booked on World Book Day week 2023, but do still have a couple of slots for Zoom visits โ€”and plenty of availability at other times for in-person or Zoom visits.

Classroom with pupils with hands up. Karen Inglis children's author at front of class
The Harrodian School July 2022 โ€” questions about Return to the Secret Lake

That’s it for now. I’ll be in touch again in the new year. In the meantime, for everyone in the northern hemisphere, I hope you are able to find imaginative ways to stay warm without breaking the bank!

Happy reading in the meantime! ๐Ÿ“š ๐Ÿ˜Š

Karen

PS Reminder: if you/ your pupils or children have read Return to the Secret Lake or any of my other books it would be wonderful if you could take a moment to leave a short review online if you’ve not yet done so. Every little helps spread the word. Thank you!

โ€‹

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๐ŸŒž Middle Grade Summer Reading Sale ๐ŸŒž | 10-year anniversary of The Secret Lake and other news…

Hello from London where we’ve been experiencing extreme heat, epic rainfall and flash flooding in equal measure. It’s cold and grey in London as I write. I hope your summer is a little better! Thankfully, more governments are waking up to the reality of global warming. Here’s keeping fingers crossed that between us we can turn this around.๐Ÿคž

I’ve had an especially busy first half of the year โ€” hence the long gap since my last post! Since finalising the second edition of my non-fiction book for children’s authors (now out, all 420 pages โ€” phew!), I’ve commissioned a fun audiobook of Walter Brown and the Magician’s Hat (check out the free sample later on!) and have been working on plans for a new top secret middle grade title, on which more towards the end of the year. ๐Ÿ“š Now, back to more immediate news…

Middle Grade Summer Reading Sale

First things first! In the spirit of summer, and to encourage more Summer Reading, I’ve teamed up with a small number of bestselling middle grade authors to offer nine incredible eBooks, all of which are either FREE or just $0.99/ยฃ0.99 on Amazon.

Top notch books from top-selling authors!

I can vouch that all of these books are high quality, well reviewed, and you will not be disappointed! These deals, which are available for the next five days only (sale ends Thursday August 5th), offer a great way to sample new authors and stories. And, of course, you can always then buy them in print if your child prefers reading that way.

Your Children’s Summer Reads Amazing Line-up

โ€ข Ben Archer and The Cosmic Fall by Rae Knightly (Only $0.99/ยฃ0.99 Click here)

โ€ข The Book of Chaos by Jessica Renwick (FREE Click here)

โ€ข Brother Wars by Steven K. Smith (FREE Click here)

โ€ข Eeek! The Runaway Alien by Karen Inglis ๐Ÿ˜Š (Only $0.99/ยฃ0.99 Click here)

โ€ข Epic Zero: Tales of a Not-So-Super 6th Grader by R.L. Ullman (FREE Click here)

โ€ข Jack Jones: The Pirate Treasure by Zander Bingham (Only $0.99/ยฃ0.99 Click here)

โ€ข The Math Inspectors: The Case of the Claymore Diamond by Daniel Kenney (FREE Click here)

โ€ข My Fox Ate My Homework by David Blaze (Only $0.99/ยฃ0.99 Click here)

โ€ข Pumpkins by Kevin Miller (Only $0.99/ยฃ0.99 Click here)

These books are rarely discounted so please spread the word to your friends and family. I also encourage you to subscribe to each authorโ€™s newsletter to learn more about them and their new releases.

Eeek! โ€” New Cover

Those of you who have been following me for a while, will see that Eeek! has a shiny new cover! That’s 11-year-old Charlie opening the door to the alien in the picture (with shorts and a scarf added for front-cover modesty!). For those not familiar with this story, it’s about a soccer-mad alien who runs away to Earth for the World Cup. Described as “laugh-out-loud funny” and great for keen and reluctant readers alike, it was featured as Book of the Month on LoveReading4KidsUK when it came out and remains hugely popular for both girls and boys ages 7-10 at school events ๐Ÿ™‚ It surely must be up there with every child’s dream to find a friendly young alien on their doorstep?!

In print, eBook and audiobook (narrated by the brilliant Ciaran Saward)

The Secret Lake: 10-year Anniversary

August marks the 10-year anniversary of the publication of my bestselling time-travel adventure The Secret Lake. At the last count it had sold over 320,000 print copies in the English language. I am truly honoured and humbled that so many children (and adults) have fallen in love with this magical tale. Thank you if your family has a copy! Look out for a separate celebratory newsletter in the next few weeks when I shall be giving away dedicated, signed copies in a special draw.

Meanwhile, the photo below was taken by my son when visiting his girlfriend’s best friend’s family home out in Wiltshire last weekend. I couldn’t believe how closely it echoes the lake in The Secret Lake, nor could I resist superimposing the book cover! What a beautiful setting โ€” a perfect location for a film of the book, don’t you think?! ๐Ÿ˜Š โค๏ธ

The perfect setting for the film of The Secret Lake!

The Tell-Me Tree โ€” incredible teacher and parent feedback

image of the book 'The Tell-Me Tree'
For ages 4-8 ~ with links to free printable activities

I continue to be bowled over by feedback to The Tell-Me Tree, which both parents and teachers are telling me has been brilliant for helping children share their feelings through writing, talking or drawing. Several schools say they have set up Tell-Me Trees either inside a classroom, or assigned a tree outside in their grounds. One parent in the UK has even painted a ceiling-height Tell-Me Tree into the corner of her young sons’ bedroom! (If you’re reading this, Amanda, do let me know how it’s going down with boys!)

Below I’ve included a few example comments from a Facebook promotion I’ve been running. As these were posted publicly I don’t think the readers will mind.

Children have the habit of storing up worries and the more we can encourage them to share feelings of all sorts โ€” happy, sad, or anywhere in between โ€” the better chances we have of resolving issues early on before they grow into something bigger.

If you’re a teacher, or have children aged 4-8 you can read more about the The Tell-Me Tree and its inspiration in my blogpost here. It’s available to order both on Amazon or from any other online store or high street bookshop, and comes with free printable download activities.

Walter Brown and the Magician’s Hat audio sample

Finally, as promised, here’s a link to a free sample of Walter Brown and the Magician’s Hat. While it has a reading age of 7-10, the audiobook can be enjoyed from age 6. British voice actor Ciaran Saward (who also narrated Eeek! The Runaway Alien) is absolutely brilliant! ๐ŸŽฉ ๐Ÿ˜Š

That’s it for now. Look out for my next post later this month or early September when I’ll be offering signed copies of The Secret Lake to a few lucky readers!

And remember: the Summer Reads sale ends on August 5th so scroll up to grab your copies now!

Happy reading, stay safe and have a great rest of summer!

Karen ๐Ÿ˜Š

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Autumn update ๐Ÿ The Tell-Me Tree feedback, Eeek! audibook, new projects…

It’s September and back-to-school week here in the UK. Like everyone, I’m keeping fingers crossed that pupils and students will be able resume their school and uni life with as little interruption as possible in the coming months. If you’re farther afield with children studying from home, I do hope you are all managing in this challenging time.

I have a few updates below which I hope you’ll enjoy. These include:

  • Early feedback from parents and teachers on The Tell-Me Tree
  • A new, fabulously narrated audiobook of Eeek! The Runaway Alien – out soon and with a free coupon offer
  • A sneak peek of my Der verborgene See, the upcoming German edition of The Secret Lake, and plans for a new picture book for next year

The Tell-Me Tree: Your Feedback

I firstly wanted to thank everyone who has taken the time to write to me and/or leave a review of The Tell-Me Tree online. Early sales have exceeded expectations, especially here in the UK where it has been ranking in the top 2,000 or so on Amazon in the last few weeks. I’ve also seen healthy orders for non-Amazon sales (via bookshops or school orders), which is a lovely surprise!

Most importantly, however, I have been bowled over by the responses from parents and teachers, and in particular wanted to mention two emails I received. The first is from a parent, Nicola Roberts, from Kent, who has given me permission to share the photos and details you will find below. The second is from a teacher who is planning to use The Tell-Me Tree as part of her back-to-school activities.

Nicola’s message to me is one I will treasure for years to come and I hope you understand why. Her seven year-old daughter Lucy, seen below, has cerebral palsy, development delays and breathing difficulties caused by craniosynostosis (or “cranio”), a condition where the skull fuses too early, meaning that while the brain grows the skull cannot. Sadly, this resulted in a stroke for Lucy when she was just a year old.

little girl reading The Tell-Me Tree by Karen Inglis
Lucy at her gait analysis, and with big sister Edie, aged 10, who is reading to her ๐Ÿ™‚

Nicola explained that, although it hasn’t been officially diagnosed, Lucy possesses a lot of the traits of autism, including severe anxiety both at home and at school. “At school she finds it difficult to express her feelings and therefore just bursts into tears or has a meltdown if she doesnโ€™t understand something or cannot convey how she feels. I think it [The Tell-Me Tree] will help her immensely when she starts back. We have read it several times over and I can honestly say this is the first book she hasnโ€™t got bored with halfway through. We adore everything about it, from the concept to the beautiful illustrations and the rhyming aspect. I had a lump in my throat when I first read it because it couldโ€™ve been written for Lucy.

“When Lucy goes back to school, Iโ€™m going to buy some copies for them, both to reiterate the meaning to Lucy and to help other children. I have five book cases filled with childrenโ€™s books and Iโ€™m being totally honest when I say itโ€™s the best book weโ€™ve ever read.”

Nicola is keen to educate other parents and children about Lucy’s condition and, as I say, has given permission for me to share the photos above. A couple are from when she recently went to Guy’s and Thomas’ Hospital for her regular gait analysis test, to see whether she will need an operation to stretch her leg muscles. Apparently they took the book with them on the train to help keep her calm ahead of the visit. As you can see, Lucy is quite a character! Nicola says she is going to try and find a soft toy tree for Lucy to take to school which can be her very own portable tell-me tree. I am humbled and thrilled that The Tell-Me Tree has been of such help to Lucy, and wish her all the luck and love in the world as she grows up! I’m also thankful to every parent who has let me know how the book has helped their children express their feelings.

You can learn more about craniosynostosis here.

Teacher feedback

I was also extremely touched by an email received from a primary school teacher in Leicester who was downloading the various activity sheets and let me know that she will be using the book in the school grounds where they are lucky to have several mature trees. She plans to have activities based around the book under the trees, with the aim of encouraging children to talk, write or draw about how they are feeling after the long break from school.

Although I conceived The Tell-Me Tree before the pandemic, it has clearly resonated with many families and teachers in the context of what everyone has been through in the last few months and I am humbled and delighted if it can serve to help. Thank you all for your feedback and please do feel free to share any photos of The Tell-Me Tree in action and I will post them on my social media if you are happy for me to do so. Oh – if you’ve bought but not yet reviewed The Tell-Me Tree, would you be able to take a moment to do so? Thank you very much!

Eeek! The Runaway Alien

๐Ÿ˜Š  ๐Ÿ‘ฝ Hear a free sample from the upcoming audiobook! ๐Ÿ‘ฝ ๐Ÿ˜Š

Described as ‘Laugh-out-loud funny’ by LoveReading4KidsUK, Eeek!, my second most popular book for older ones (ages 7-10) after The Secret Lake, continues to be a firm favourite with reluctant and keen readers alike – and with both boys and girls. (It has a great twist, but don’t tell the kids!)

Image of alien with football spinning on finger - from Eeek! The Runaway Alien by Karen Inglis
Due out mid September 2020

I’ve long wanted to produce the audiobook of Eeek! and am thrilled so say this has finally happened and it should be available from mid September. The narrator, voiceover artist Ciaran Saward (pronounced SWORD), offers up a wonderful array of human and alien voices! You can listen to an excerpt from Chapter 2 over on my author website here. I hope that you or your children/pupils enjoy the excerpt.

*Offer: When the audiobook goes live I shall be giving away 10 free audible codes. Sign up to my email list to be in with a chance to enter the draw in the next couple of weeks.*

The Secret Lake – German edition

I have just approved the German edition of The Secret Lake, for which I have project managed the translation. Below is an early reveal of the front cover ๐Ÿ˜Š.  The title ‘Der verborgene See’ translates as ‘The Hidden Lake’. My German translator and editor both felt this to be a more apt choice for the German language and I do like the ring it has, I must say!

I also recently received two copies of the Russian Edition – to see a fun short flick-through, pop over to my instagram account or facebook page. The Secret Lake is also due out in Turkish in October and in Czech in March 2021. It warms my heart that this magical story, that went through so many drafts, and about which I had so many doubts when sitting alone writing it at the top of the house, is now capturing children’s imaginations around the world! 

Der verborgene See - The Secret Lake by Karen Inglis (German edition)

๐ŸŒบ  Stop Press: I have plans afoot for a special colour illustrated hardback edition of The Secret Lake and will give updates on this in my next blog post. Watch this space! ๐ŸŒบ  The early concept illustrations are beautiful. ๐Ÿ˜Š

A new picture book next year…

Lastly, I’m in the early stages of formulating a new picture book for next year and, again, shall be working with Anne Swift – illustrator for The Tell-Me Tree and The Christmas Tree Wish.  I can’t say much more other than that it will not feature trees this time around ๐Ÿ™‚ There might be a cat though! ๐Ÿ˜ผ  I’ll provide more updates on this in the coming months.

That’s it for now. Stay safe and I’ll be in touch as soon as the free promo codes for Eeek’s audiobook are available in mid September or so. In the meantime, I hope that back-to-school goes smoothly for your family.

Quick reminder: If you buy or have already bought The Tell-Me Tree, it would mean a lot to me if you could find a moment to leave a short review online as this will help other parents and teachers find it.

Thank you!

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The Christmas Tree Wish – Coming Soon!

Happy Autumn, all! The nights are slowly drawing in here in London and it will be Halloween before we know it, followed by the big rush up to the holiday season. As I write we’re still 85 days away from Christmas (!), however I’m still thrilled to announce that my new picture book The Christmas Tree Wish will be available to order from early to mid October 2019. UPDATE: IT’S OUT NOW HERE ON AMAZON and will be available via bookshops and other online stores from mid October.

This is a heart-warming Christmas tale for ages 3-5+ about hope, friendship and being different ๐Ÿ˜Š. The beautiful pen and ink illustrations by Anne Swift feature little Bruce Spruce, Penelope Pine, Douglas Fir and Cedrick Cypress, as well as a gorgeous Christmas robin and inquisitive squirrel.

Read on to learn more, see images and toย sign up for a release date notification.

Christmas tree images

From the back page

robin in snowy scene sitting on a star

The story behind the story

This is a story that had been going around in my head for years after I saw a small bedraggled Christmas tree left unsold one dark evening a few days before Christmas. My heart went out to the little fellow and I knew I had to write about him.

From the outset I was certain that I wanted hand-drawn illustrations rather than digital, so it was a question of finding the right person. Anne, who is a great friend whom I’ve know for 25 years, is an architect by day, but has always been incredibly creative in other ways – I can’t believe it never occurred to me to ask her to try her hand at childrenโ€™s illustrations! It was a chance image she drew for her son that made the penny drop!

A sample page spread for fun!

christmas tree characters

 

Sign up to be notified on release dateย 

The Christmas Tree Wish will be available to order from early to mid October. Sign up here to join my occasional mailing list to be notified on the release date. You’ll also receive the first three chapters from my Amazon UK/USA bestseller The Secret Lake, a time travel adventure for ages 8-11. ๐Ÿ˜Šย I don’t email often and you can unsubscribe at any time.

  • Alternatively, search your favourite online store from mid October.
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The Secret Lake audiobook, Australian log cabins, Albanian translation and other summer news…

Summer is here, it’s Wimbledon fortnight in southwest London and it’s not been raining too much for England! But that’s not the only reason to celebrate ๐Ÿ˜Š. I’m thrilled to announce that the audiobook of my Amazon UK bestseller The Secret Lake has just come out and is available to sample for free or to buy now. With its summer mystery adventure theme, the timing couldn’t be better.

The reading age forย The Secret Lakeย book is 8-11. However, the audiobook is perfect for ages 6 and above. (Grown-up fans of classic children’s adventure stories such as Enid Blyton and Nancy Drew love it too!) So if you have a car or other journey planned and would like to keep the kids occupied for two and a half hours, do check out the samples by following the links.

I am narrating so I do hope you and the children enjoy an English accent. It required huge amounts of practice and preparation but was worth every minute for the experience. Did you know that for every hour of audio recording there are typically six hours of editing and mastering involved?! Here are a few photos of me at the recording studio in Brixton with sound engineer Andy Marlow ๐Ÿ™‚

Untitled design (21)

The Secret Lake has continued to chart in the top 300-800 (mostly) on Amazon UK over the last few months, as well as fluctuating in the top 2,000-5,000 over on Amazon.com. It has also been ranked regularly in the top 2,000 for all print book sales (not just children’s or Amazon) for the whole of the UK in recent months, according to reports from Nielsen bookscan. As I have said before, when I first sent the manuscript out to publishers they told me that children were no longer interested in traditional adventure stories. How wrong they were!

The audiobook on Amazon hasย Whispersync enabled, which means the kids can swap between the Kindle version and audiobook and keep their place, or even listen and read along with word highlights on some Kindle models. I’ve not tested this yet but will do so and blog about it at a later date. I think you need to have the Audible app installed for this to work.

The Secret Lake, Australia and Ten Log Cabins ๐Ÿ•๏ธ

Yes, this is a very unlikely combination, I have to confess! But my favourite email in this week was from a lovely Australian called Graham. It read as follows:

Hi Karen, We have just purchased a property in New South Wales, Australia and have named it Secret Lake. We saw your book and loved it. We will be building 10 self-contained cabins around our lake and will find and put copies of your book in each cabin.

Here’s a picture of the lake that was in the property details he sent a link to. I am still speechless but so thrilled ๐Ÿ™‚ As and when they are built I will share photos of the books in situ!

Image of lake from sky with trees all around
The owner plans to put a copy of The Secret Lake in 10 log cabins around the lake.

The Secret Lake in translation: introducing my first Albanian Fan

I was thrilled last Autumn to receive a rights request for The Secret Lake from Albania and even more excited when the book came out in June. Here’s a picture of my first Albanian fan at a book fair in Kosovo, which has a large Albanian population. The publisher Botart have many other English classics on their list, such as Michelle Magorian (Goodnight Mr Tom), Roald Dahl and David Walliams so I feel in good company and very safe hands. Next up is a Russian translation for which I have recently finalised a deal – more on this another time! In the meantime I hope you enjoy the picture and video below ๐Ÿ˜Š.

Young girl holding up a copy of The Secret Lake in Albanian
My first Albanian fan ๐Ÿ™‚

 

 

The Secret Lake as aย Class Reader

I’ve been receiving increasing contact from primary school teachers saying they have been usingย The Secret Lake in class, including one Deputy Head of English at a school in Durham, UK who is now mapping out a full Scheme of Work based on the book to be taught across four classes from September. He has invited me to go and watch the sessions live once they are up and running – I can’t wait and will blog about this in more detail when the time comes.

And below is a lovely photo (for which I received permission to share) from a school in Wiltshire, where the children each sent me a handwritten letter telling me how much they had enjoyed the story. Getting feedback from readers and schools means so much. Please do email or write to me with any feedback you have for any of my books and I will be happy to reply and share. Anything I can do to help encourage children to read and write more is a pleasure!

hand written letters arranged with a copy of The Secret Lake children's book
Wonderful handwriting – and lots of requests for a sequel to The Secret Lake!

That’s it for now. I hope you have a wonderful summer (or winter) break!

Before signing off I just want to wish the Women’s England Football Team the very best of luck in their World Cup semi final against the USA this evening. May the best team win! Needless to say, Eeek is excited for more reasons than one! (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, ask the kids if they’ve read the book…!) โšฝ ๐Ÿ‘ฝ ๐Ÿ†

Update: Eeek! sends congratulations to the USA Women’s Soccer Team for winning! “You were awesome!” โšฝ ๐Ÿ‘ฝ ๐Ÿ†

Eeek

Happy reading and listening!

Karen

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