Ages 6-9

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0 thoughts on “Ages 6-9”

  1. I have read the blurb and it sounds an interesting book and I think it will be brilliant and thank you for signing it 🙂

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  4. Thanks for this info Karen, some great tips here, I’m a fellow UK author and hoping to turn my latest children’s book into an app, this has been a big help! Thanks again 🙂

  5. Thank you so much for the shout-out for the Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival, Karen. I’m sure you’re right – there’s a new mood afoot in litfests around the country, putting the focus back on readers and the joy of reading. Next year, we’re planning to make our festival a whole-day event on Saturday 23rd April, to allow us to include more great events including family-friendly ones. I hope you’ll be able to join us to stage a children’s event about your fabulous books.

  6. My pleasure, Debbie! I hope it goes really well and, yes, I’d love to join you next year – here’s hoping it doesn’t clash with Barnes!!! (Mind you I could probably manage both – a bit like one of those jockeys who helicopters between racing events on the same day – albeit I would be arriving with less of a statement 🙂 )

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  11. Hi Karen, Many many congratulations on your new book and wishing you all the very best for it. Your blogs are a great help to any aspiring author who wants to self-publish. Thanks a lot for that. I have completed my first children’s story book. I want to do you do personal mentoring to new authors too? I need some guidance regarding my first book. Just few basic questions, is there any way for a Q/A for new authors?

    Regards

    1. Hi Pallavi — I don’t offer one to one mentoring in terms of your story but if it’s a general self-publishing type question just post it here and I’ll see if I can respond. Or is the question relating specifically to the story you have written? If I can’t help I may be able to recommend someone who can. I ask writers to post queries here as comments as it helps every one else who comes to the site too. I’m a bit tied up today but will look out for your reply later on and will reply then :-). All the very best. Karen

      1. Hi Karen, Thanks for your reply. I can imagine you are too busy these days. 🙂 I have few general questions like, Which publishing platforms you used for you new book? CS, LS or you also went for some print firm like you mentioned in your ‘Self-Publishing Picture book’ blog. Are you using silk finished paper for this one too?

        Regards

      2. Hi Pallavi – before I answer on this, can you tell me where you are based and what type of book you are creating? Is it a colour picture book or a book for slightly older children with just black and white illustrations? I’ll then give you my view on what I would recommend based on my own experience. Best wishes, Karen

  12. Hi Karen,

    I am creating a colour picture book with many illustrations. Another thing I wanted to ask about is Hardcover vs paperback for kids. I would love to have hardcover but CS will not do sell it online. And they are very expensive to print. Any suggestions for it?

    Regards
    Pallavi

    1. Hi Pallavi – so sorry not to have replied yet. I’ve been very busy the last few days. I haven’t produced hardback — I think it would be very expensive to do. I think Ingram Spark offer it using Print On Demand — but I’m afraid you’d need to do the research to see if it makes financial sense and I somehow don’t think it would unless you are sure that you can sell lots and lots of books. Here is their website. > http://www.ingramspark.com/plan-your-book/print/book-types.

      Regards silk paper, you can only get this by printing using a short-run digital printing company or traditional offset printing, *not* print on demand (ie not LS and not Ingram Spark). And it’s only worth doing if you are prepared to have several hundred printed at a time – ideally 500-1000. I talk about this in detail on my page about self-publishing a picture book… In short be sure you will be able to sell lots before going this route. I think it would make sense to start using CS, for example, to test the water with your book and then if you sell a lot then look at options for hard back or silk pages if you really think you want to go this route.

      (Walter Brown and the Magician’s Hat is black and white interior and on normal pages.)

      I hope this helps in some way, but do read my picture book page again if you’re not sure. Karen

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  15. I always enjoy your posts, Karen. Before I retired from teaching, The Secret Lake is just the sort of novel I’d have read to my upper primary pupils. I’ll be recommending it to former colleagues and fellow grandparents for sharing with their grandchildren.

    1. Thanks so much, Anne! Isabella is flowering a month early this year – it was lucky I realised. I’m so glad you enjoyed the post and how wonderful if you’re able to share news about The Secret Lake with friends and colleagues 🙂 I was just looking at the blurb for your own book and will put it on my TBR list. (My husband was born and brought up in Turo btw!) Karen

    1. I’m afraid not, Kaye – but if you download the free sampler Story Stack from Amazon you can get a free copy of the audio book. Who is it for out of interest?

  17. I like Ferdinand Fox and the Hedgehog very much because the story is interesting and there are nice pictures in it.I learned a lot of new words and I like books with happy ending. I also like that the book has animal facts. My brother who is 4 loves it , too.
    Stefan Stoyanov

    1. Hello Stefan! Thank you so much for leaving a review of Ferdinand Fox and the Hedgehog 🙂 I am so glad that you enjoyed the story and enjoyed learning lots of new facts about foxes and hedgehogs! I hope you’re having a lovely day — it’s pouring with rain here in the UK!! Please say hello to your class at Jolly English for me. All the best and thank you again – Karen

  18. We really love reading this story about Ferdinand Fox and the Hedgehog! We love hedgehogs and have 2 that visit our garden.
    It was lovely to meet Karen the author at the Barnes Children’s Literature Festival too.
    Thanks Poppy (age 3) and Mummy

    1. Oh, thank you, Nicola – it was lovely to meet you and I’m so glad that you and Poppy enjoyed / are enjoying the story! In fact there are four more stories already written – next up will be Ferdinand Fox and the Close Shave, which involves a lawnmower, Ferdinand Fox, Hatty and little Ed – it all ends well though 🙂

      Thank you again and happy rhyming!

      (BTW if you happen to use Amazon and felt like leaving a short review there it would be lovely and will help spread the word! I sell l in local bookshops and always support them, but also online and online is the only way to spread the word beyond SW London! That said, I remember just how busy it gets with little ones so no worries if you don’t get a chance!)

  20. Dear Karen,
    Thank you for your inspiring story and the example of your tenacity. I’ve shared it with other writers — in all genres — and read it again today to keep myself inspired.
    Ever on-word,
    A.T. Lynne, Author
    21 Games for The Mind that Won’t Shut the @#&* Up!

  21. Hi Karen,
    We have just finished reading this book in our group reading and asked our teacher if we could send a message.
    It made our day reading about Henry because it was funny and exciting.
    We wondered how you got your ideas for the book and where the names came from?
    We liked the animals escaping so they had more space and weren’t trapped in the cage. What’s your favourite animal in the book?
    Thanks for your great book! We are going to look for more of yours to read.

    1. Hello Year 5! How lovely to hear from you – I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed Henry Haynes and the Great Escape 🙂

      In answer to your questions, the idea for the story came from a mix of many things (which is so often the case with my stories!). One is most certainly the visits we used to make to London Zoo with our boys when they were little. The smelly gorilla there always intrigued me with his very human looking eyes and it made me wonder how he felt about living in a cage with people coming to stare at him. So that was one part of the inspiration. As for his smell — well I can almost still smell him now it was so bad – and I knew that children would love that!

      Brian the Boa was partly inspired by the snake Kaa in Jungle Book who was always so funny :). And the voices of the animals were possibly partly inspired by a programme I used to watch as a child called Animal Magic with Johnny Morris, who was brilliant at talking in the sort of voice he imagined the animal would have if it could speak in human language. Your teacher will be able to find videos of the programme on YouTube.

      Funnily enough, when writing the story I didn’t think about any of these influences — mostly I realised afterwards where they had come from! And that is often the case when thinking about some of the finer detail within my stories.

      My favourite animal in the book is Brian the Boa I think – he’s rather bossy but in his heart he’s a kind snake :))

      One last thing — when I first came up with the idea of a boy falling inside a book after saying it was boring, it was because one of my sons, George, hardly every picked up a book, so I was trying to come up with a story that would excite him. (That is also why I wrote Eeek! The Runaway Alien about the soccer-mad alien who runs away to Earth for the World Cup!) In fact, the first title for Henry Haynes and the Great Escape was “I Hate Books!” but I decided that was a very boring name!

      Thank you again for your message and feel free to ask again if you read any more of my books. And do ask your teacher to get in touch about a school visit in person (or via Skype depending where the school is) if that would be of interest.

      With very best wishes and keep on reading and writing!

      Karen

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  25. Dear Ms. Inglis,

    My name is Sebastian. I really liked the book ” The Secret Lake.” I got addicted to it and really read it fast. I am 8 years old and I love writing. I started to write my own story, and I was inspired by your writing. I just wish you could make some more “The Secret Lake” books. My favorite part was when I found out […….] Note from Karen — I’ve had to hide this bit as it’s top secret if you haven’t read the book yet!. I was quite sad at the end because .[…]see above!, but at the same time I was happy. And I was also sad because I finished the book and I wanted to read it again. Good luck on your stories! Hope to hear from you!

    Sincerely,

    Sebastian

    1. Dear Sebastian

      Thank you so much for writing. I’m thrilled to hear how much you enjoyed The Secret Lake, and how wonderful that you love writing and you are creating your own story! 📚 👍🏼

      You may know this already, but one little tip I can offer for stories is to try to make an outline plan in advance. A mistake I made with The Secret Lake at the beginning was just to start writing without any idea of what was going to happen! As a result, I went around in a lot of circles at one point, trying to work out the timelines and where things were going. If I had made a plan I think I would have saved my self a lot of time!! (Even with a plan you can change it as you write, by the way. New ideas often come to you as you write, as I am sure you will have found — and my characters were always doing unexpected things! But I know from my later books that a broad plan definitely helped me finish them sooner, even if the plan changed a bit during writing…)

      My apologies that I had to hide part of your review — I hope you will understand — I’ve had to do it before for other reviews, so you’re not the first! This is just so anyone seeing it who hasn’t read The Secret Lake doesn’t find out the ending before they start reading 🙂 But it’s lovely to read the emotions you felt at the end and I know exactly what you mean about feeling both sad and happy at the same time. 😊

      Many thanks again for writing and best of luck with your story. I hope you find many more mysteries and adventure stories to enjoy and to inspire your own work!

      With very best wishes,

      Karen 😊 ❤️ 📚

      1. Dear Karen,

        My class was amazed because I wrote a letter to an author and she wrote me back! I hope you don’t mind but my teachers wanted to share it because they were so amazed and they wanted to use your writing tips for our class this year.
        I understand that you had to delete part of my letter because it is not good to be a spoiler. You really don’t want to spoil the story for someone. That would make them feel bored or maybe not like the story as much if they knew what already happened.
        Several kids in my class want to read your book and write a response like I did.
        Hope we keep in touch. Maybe I will send you a bit of my story soon.

        Sincerely from your new friend,

        Sebastian

      2. Hi Sebastian — of course no problem at all that your teachers shared my reply to you 🙂 Writing tips are there to be shared!

        And thank you for understanding why I needed to hide a little bit of your reply to me to prevent spoilers!

        I hope you’re staying safe and getting lost in many more great adventures!

        Karen 😊 📚

        (PS Apologies for my later reply — your reply to me somehow got lost in the back end of my website!)

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  27. I agree with you on this and enjoyed reading it, Thank you. It has given me a fresh perspective on this topic.
    In writing a great children’s book, it is not only enough to be skillful and creative. You also need to be determined, inspiring, and purpose-oriented as an author.

    I hope you can take the time to read my post as well:The Secrets to Writing a Great Children’s Book

    I hope this would also help

  28. Will there be a sequel this book was amazing but I would love to see their future adventures.😁😁😁

    1. Hello, Sarah — apologies for my very delayed reply! The Christmas break meant that I somehow missed your comment! In answer to your question, lots of children, parents and teachers ask if there wil be a sequel. The short answer is that I haven’t ruled it out. I have several ideas tumbling around in my mind, but won’t be putting pen to paper (so to speak!) until I am certain any follow-on story can be as magical as the first. So, at the moment, it’s a case of ‘watch this space’ I’m afraid! If you sign up to my author newsletter you’ll be one of the first to know as/when there is more news on this. Wishing you a positive 2021! With very best wishes, Karen

  29. Dear Karen,
    I loved The Secret Lake. I cried at the end. I loved that the characters all connected back in the future and could prove that it all really happened. That is the very best kind of time travel book. Yours would have been among my favorite books as a child! (I am 73 years old) Time travel books continue to be my “go-to” books, but only if I can believe they were true! I will continue to watch for a sequel to this book as I always do with my favorites. Thank you so much for your efforts in writing and publishing such a wonderful book. Sincerely, Anna Marshment (USA)

    1. Dear Anna — thank you so much for you lovely comments about The Secret Lake, and apologies for my delayed reply. I’ve had my head buried creating recordings for virtual school visits!

      I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed the story so much. It really did come from the heart — and largely because I felt there weren’t enough good old fashioned children’s adventures around at the time I wrote it. It is thrilling to know that so many children and adults around the world have enjoyed it now, especially when I think back to the days, weeks and months I sat on the top floor of our house writing away and never being sure anyone would ever read the story! And it’s especially touching to get letters and emails from grown-ups! I think my oldest ‘fan’ of The Secret Lake is in her late 90s, and I feel honoured!

      Huge thanks again for writing. It means a lot to get feedback 🙂

      Stay safe and well, and here’s looking forward to 2021!

      With very best wishes,

      Karen

  30. Hi Karen!

    It’s Andrew again from the WordPress team! You seem to be a prolific writer! I’m going to have to come back to these sites later when I’m not working. I love children’s books!

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    1. Thank you for your feedback! ❤️ I’m so glad you like it — I do agree it really draws you in, which is exactly what I wanted!

  33. When will this book be released please? I have a very excited 9 year old itching to get stuck in, she has read your first book multiple times! Many thanks 🙂

    1. Hi Candice — oh, bless her! It will be released next Tuesday 8th March in print on Amazon, and should become available to order in print from other stores a couple of weeks later due a slight delay at the other printer. It should also be on Kindle in the next couple of days (even tomorrow — the file is currently processing).

      If she’d like to make a head start, then follow the new link in the top menu here on this website that says ‘Return to the Secret Lake’ and scroll to the bottom where there’s a link to the opening 3 chapters in a flip magazine style on desktop, tablet or phone 🙂 That page has just gone live in the last 48 hours ready for the launch so I’ve not yet actively publicised it! All true fans are told though 🙂

      You can download that excerpt as a PDF from the flip book too if preferred.

      Please note that whereas the print book and flip book contain the moles and tree image on the first page of each chapter the kindle / eBook that goes live on Amazon doesn’t have these images, due to the reflow-able format not accommodating images like this.

      I do hope she enjoys the sequel, and please do take a moment to leave a short review online if she does. Early feedback from a very small team of advance readers has been lovely and the more the merrier when the book comes out! 😊

      And, of course, feel free to share that link above with any friends.

      Thanks again for getting in touch and please say hi to your daughter from me!

      Karen 📚 ❤️ 😊

    2. Hi Candice — you probably know this already but the book is now out and available to order. I hope your 9-year-old enjoys! Karen x

  34. I loved your book Karen! Downloaded it yesterday and left a review – so excited you finally wrote a sequel!

      1. It sounds like you have another sequel in the work … any idea about timing?

  35. My 11 year old is doing her book report on The Secret Lake. She loved it so much! I would love to get Return but I’m searching for autographed ones first! Will let you know what we thing. P.S. your blog post about the inspiration for TSL and the pictures you included were a great help for her! Thank you so much!

    1. So glad she enjoyed it — thank you for letting me know. In terms of a signed copy, where are you based? If you’re in the UK I can let you know the cost to send but the book is heavy so postage may be quite a bit. With very best wishes, Karen

  36. Good morning. I teach 6th grade English in the United States. I have tasked my student to write a letter to the author of a book they chose to read; one of my students read The Secret Lake, and he would like to share his thoughts and questions with you.
    As I am teaching how to write a business letter, can you please provide a mailing address, so he can properly mail the letter to you?
    Thank you for your time and your excellent work!

    1. Hello, Lauren — apologies for my slight delay in replying! The correct mailing address to use is the one shown inside the book on the title page — Well Said Press, 83 Castelnau, London SW13 9RT. It will reach me that way! Hope that helps. With very best wishes, Karen

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  38. Hello Karen,
    Me and my son love reading books and have enjoyed both of your secret garden books, we can’t wait to see if there will be a third one. This is a neat adventure book that is enjoyable for all ages. Merry Christmas and Happy New year.

    2. Hi, Erika — thank you *so* much for your very kind comments about The Secret Lake and Return to the Secret Lake. It really warms my heart that so many children and adults have enjoyed the stories together — please say hello to your son from me! The series is indeed a story for all ages 😊. (I think my oldest fan to date was in her late 90s!)

      As far as Book 3 goes, it’s already tumbling around in my head, so watch this space! If you sign up to my newsletter (via the link top right here on my website) that’s the best way of keeping up to date on what I’m up to.

      Thank you again so much for sharing your feedback about The Secret Lake and the sequel. I hope that you and your son have a wonderful Christmas 🎄and a very Happy New Year!

      Karen

  39. My 7 year old read the secret lake and begged me to read it when she finished- I loved it so much I downloaded the sequel and we both just devoured it. Such a great story for kids and adults alike, and we want to read more of their adventures!

    1. Dear Amy — I’m *so* sorry for my late reply here. It’s been a very busy time and I somehow missed the notification about it.

      I’m thrilled to hear how much you and your daughter enjoyed both books! This time last year Return to the Secret Lake was still in the editing stage and (like all writers) I was wondering whether readers would enjoy it! I’m so glad that it has lived up to expectations — I certainly enjoyed writing it and reconnecting with all of the characters, and am looking forward to putting pen to paper for Book 3 once the ideas tumbling around in my head let me know they are ready to be told!

      Happy New Year and huge apologies again for such a later reply!

      With very best wishes and please pass on my good wishes to your daughter too!

      Karen 😊

      PS: If you want to be kept up to date with my news do remember to join my newsletter list using the link on this site— I don’t email often and of course you can unsubscribe any time!

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  41. Hallo, meine Tochter und ich finden sie Geschichten rund um den geheimen See toll. Wann wird es den dritten Teil auf deutsch geben ?

    1. Hello Christine — I’m so glad you have enjoyed books 1 and 2. ‘Jenseits des verborgenen Sees’ should be out in in the next week or so! If you email me at kpinglis@wellsaid.co.uk I can reply to you to confirm, otherwise join my mailing list. Apologies for my late reply — I have been busy managing the German and Italian translations with my overseas teams 🙂 Karen

  42. Hi, I love books, so that meant that number 1,2,and 3 were literally impossible to put down. My mom even had to take the book from my hand. 5 star review. Chloe,

    1. Hello, Megan

      I’m so sorry I missed your message last week, but just to say how glad I am to hear that you enjoyed the series! It’s lovely to hear that The Secret Lake, Return to the Secret Lake and Beyond the Secret Lake were impossible to put down! We authors always worry that readers might not enjoy our stories and it’s always such a relief when they write to us to tell us otherwise! Thank you again for sharing and I hope you find many more adventures to get lost in in the coming year! 😊 Karen

    1. Hi, Katherine – thank you so much for taking the time to let me know that you’re looking forward to the next book in The Secret Lake series. You will be pleased to hear that ideas are bubbling around in my mind at the moment, which is always how it starts off. (It’s as though the characters are nagging me to get on with it!) I can’t yet say when I will start writing; I will have to take their lead, but watch this space…. 😊 Karen (PS it’s best to sign up to my newsletter to be the first to hear news about what I’m up to! I don’t email often and you can unsubscribe at any time!)

  44. Dear Karen,
    I am a teacher in Florida and have read your book, The Secret Lake, as a book club book with our 5th graders!
    We loved it! You have such a great “voice” and ideas for your characters, that it was easy to get hooked into the story. We will be starting Return to the Secret Lake in January and want to thank you for giving us something to look forward to and sharing your talent!
    Sincerely,
    Mrs. Wendy Pellant

    1. Dear Wendy,

      How lovely to hear from you. I am thrilled that your book club 5th graders have enjoyed The Secret Lake. ❤️ It never ceases to warm my heart that this story has travelled (UK spelling!) so far and wide and is loved by so many. I do hope they enjoyed the twists and turns! Since they enjoyed book one I am sure they will love Return to the Secret Lake, partly as we see Lucy come into present-day times for a while, which I think children find eye-opening as they watch her take in the modern world. But also because in Book 2 Stella and Tom get to venture outside of Emma and Sophie’s home when they travel across London to meet Jack. There’s lots to discuss about the differences between then and now (as well as what is a constant across time, such as children’s hopes, fears, dreams and relationships, and seeing how these develop and change over time.)

      Thank you so much for letting me know about your book group and please do say hello to all of your pupils from me! If at any stage you’d like a Zoom visit do let me know!

      Happy Holidays / Christmas and New Year!

      Karen 🚣‍♀️ 😊 🎄

      (PS if you have time to post a short review on Amazon that would also be wonderful, but no worries if you’re super busy. I know how it gets!)

      1. Hello Karin, we really like the ribbons from the hidden lake and we are happy if a fourth one comes out. The books are really great and above all totally excitingly written.
        Mats 14 years old, Lias 12 years old and Mom Natalie 47 years old.
        We are very exited.

      2. Hello, Mats, Lias and Natalie – I’m at my desk so am going to reply right away as I have a very busy few weeks coming up!

        I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed Beyond the Secret Lake and well done for finishing it! (It’s a long read!) I am thrilled that the series has been so well received both here and in the US (and in Germany where it is in translation) and am very much looking to a forward to a book 4 too! As always happens, the ideas are tumbling around and in the early planning stage at the moment, which is both exciting and a little unnerving as I never really know where the children will lead me next! I still have more research to do before I start putting pen to paper (so to speak).

        If you sign up to my newsletter you’ll be the first to know when book four is due out. You’ll also get the chance to be an advance reader where I look for early feedback.

        You might be interested to know that Beyond the Secret Lake has recently been shortlisted for the UK Selfies Book Award here in the UK in the children’s category, and is a Finalist in the Wishing Shelf Awards in the 9-12 age group, which is voted on by children in 10 UK primary schools, so that was a lovely surprise! The three-book series has also reached the shortlist for the CIBA International Book Awards for best books in series. It’s up against adult books too, so lots of competition! All of this is wonderful news and just reaching the shortlists is very humbling.

        Thank you again for writing, and if you have a short moment it would mean a lot of you could leave short review on Amazon or your preferred online store of Beyond the Secret Lake. That apart, I hope you find many more fun adventures to get lost in over the coming weeks and months!

        With very best wishes, Karen 😊 📚 ❤️ 🚣‍♂️

  45. Hi Karen, I read all 3 of your books in the Secret Lake series and I liked them! But I found a mistake on page 308 of Beyond the Secret Lake. At the very bottom its says “She winked at Tom, Stella and Emma….”but Emma is not there at the moment Hannah is there. Did you mean to say Tom, Stella and Hannah? I am almost 8 years old (in one week) and I want to be a book editor when I grow up so I am just practicing.

    1. Hi Esther

      Thank you so much for writing, and I’m delighted that you enjoyed the Secret Lake series! And thank you SO much for pointing out that name error! I was clearly so absorbed in the action that I didn’t notice it.

      It’s astonishing how many tiny proofing errors slip through the net, no matter how many pairs of eyes have seen the manuscript (in this case, not just me, but also the editor, the proofreader, and a team of advance readers!). With something like 62,500 words, it’s not surprising, though, and this is just part of the business of publishing. We caught another one like this when the audiobook was being recorded. 🙂

      I’ll have the files corrected this week, which means that when the next print runs go out, those copies will say ‘Hannah’ and not ‘Emma’! In the meantime, hang on to your copy because, who knows, one day it might be considered extra special. 😊

      Thank you again for writing, and I hope you find many more adventures to get lost in over the coming weeks and months.

      With very best wishes, Karen 📚 ❤️ 😊

      1. Hi Karen

        Thank you SO much for writing back and for correcting the error that I found even though I’m just a kid.

        Best, Esther

  46. I am an adult reader. I like to read the occasional YA fantasy/sci-fi novel/series. I enjoyed the 3 books that have comprised this series so far. The fourth book is eagerly awaited. Thank you for writing this series.

    1. [Hello, Pam — I am copying my earlier reply to you here as I have just seen that in February I put this in the wrong place! As a result I am not sure whether you will have seen it. A little update since then is that ‘Beyond the Secret Lake’ won the 2025 UK Selfies Children’s Book Award :)]

      How lovely to hear, Pam. 😊 As I write, the next Secret Lake is in the ‘tumbling around’ stage, as I always call it! However, if you’re on my newsletter list you’ll be the first to know about progress/timing which I hope/expect is likely to be next year. In the meantime ‘Beyond the Secret Lake’ has just been shortlisted for the UK 2025 Selfies Book Award, and has reached Finalist stage in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards (judged by UK primary school children). In addition, the series as a whole has been shortlisted by another award based in the US. So rather a lovely start to the year! Results will be announced in March and April. Competition is stiff, but making the shortlists is a win in itself.

      I hope you find some wonderful reads in the coming months. I’m just coming to the end of the Anne of Green Gables series – a lovely print box-set. What joy to read! (As a child this passed me by.) I expect you’ve read them but, if not, I’d recommend since you enjoy historical fiction… Some parts could use an edit – a few overly-long gossipy moralising scenes between adults in one of in the later/middle books – but overall so wonderful to watch Anne journey though her life! Best wishes and if you have a moment please do consider leaving short review online for the books as it helps others discover the stories. Thank you for writing, Karen ❤️

  47. How lovely to hear, Pam. 😊 As I write, the next Secret Lake is in the ‘tumbling around’ stage, as I always call it! However, if you’re on my newsletter list you’ll be the first to know about progress/timing which I hope/expect is likely to be next year. In the meantime ‘Beyond the Secret Lake’ has just been shortlisted for the UK 2025 Selfies Book Award, and has reached Finalist stage in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards (judged by UK primary school children). In addition, the series as a whole has been shortlisted by another award based in the US. So rather a lovely start to the year! Results will be announced in March and April. Competition is stiff, but making the shortlists is a win in itself.

    I hope you find some wonderful reads in the coming months. I’m just coming to the end of the Anne of Green Gables series – a lovely print box-set. What joy to read! (As a child this passed me by.) I expect you’ve read them but, if not, I’d recommend since you enjoy historical fiction… Some parts could use an edit – a few overly-long gossipy moralising scenes between adults in one of in the later/middle books – but overall so wonderful to watch Anne journey though her life! Best wishes and if you have a moment please do consider leaving short review online for the books as it helps others discover the stories. Thank you for writing, Karen ❤️

  48. I just finished the book The Secret Lake, and I already want to know what happened to Tom, what happened to the T in the chimney? When my friend gave me this book, I thought it would be like my other books, no surprise, but when I finished this book, I wanted more. I asked my mom to buy me the next book. I used to not be fond of reading books, just to tell you that, but this made me love to read more. I am now a fan of your Secret Lake series. 😍❤️🩷🧡💛💚💙🩵💜🤎🖤🩶🤍I love this book!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We need Book 4- ❤️ Zeb 9 (Yuba City, California)

    1. Hello, Jailene – I hope this reply reaches you!

      I am SO sorry for my late reply!! – for some reason WordPress didn’t alert me to your comment! In fact, most go to The Secret Lake’s dedicated website and since I wasn’t actively checking here, I missed this.

      I’m so glad that you enjoyed The Secret Lake and thank you so much for your very kind words and wonderful array of emojis!! 😊 ❤️ Hopefully by now you will have read the next two books – if you have then you will have an answer to the ‘T’ in Tom’s chimney flue! I can’t say more as I don’t want to include spoilers! But if you enjoyed the twists and turns of Book 1 then I expect/hope that the sequels won’t have disappointed! It was such fun to return to Tom, Stella, Jack, Lucy, Emma and Sophie for these new adventures – it was as if they had been waiting (im)patiently for me to return and were very relieved when I did so that they could get on with their adventure!

      I hope you had a wonderful summer and have since found many more adventures to get lost in – and I am thrilled that reading The Secret Lake has inspired you to read more. That would make any author smile!

      I hope your school term is going well and that you are looking forward to the holiday break when it arrives!

      Thanks again so much for taking the time to comment, and my apologies again for such a late reply! And apologies if you get this twice – WordPress is not making it very clear where I place the reply today!

      Karen 😊 ❤️ 🚣‍♂️ 📚

  49. Hi Karen,
    I run an after-school program in Ventura, California. We have a book club and have LOVED The Secret Lake series. We just finished Beyond the Secret Lake today and loved the ending. We hope there is a 4th book. Our favorite characters are Jack (of course), Hannah and Lucy.
    We would love to hear some of your book recommendations.
    Thanks,
    Corrie

    1. Hi, Corrie – thank you so much for your very kind words and I’m delighted to hear how much your book club have enjoyed The Secret Lake series ❤️.

      Jack really is special, isn’t he? And Lucy is such a determined and loyal friend while Hannah is so thoughtful and kind… It was such fun reconnecting with them all in books 2 and 3 – they had been waiting a long time for me to get back to them to continue their story after The Secret Lake!

      In answer to your question about another book, I currently have ideas tumbling around in my mind, which is how it always starts. In fact, I have been racing these last few months to clear lots of other projects and admin as I can feel the call…! So it’s a matter of ‘watch this space’ at the moment; much planning and thinking to do, but if you sign up to my occasional newsletter via my website here you will be the first to know as/when another book is due out.

      As far as book recommendations go, I read the whole of the Anne of Green Gables fairly recently and loved it. I don’t know if your pupils have read any of them but, if not, I’d highly recommend the first one at the very least if they enjoy historical fiction. I’d also recommend books by Emma Carrrol (a British author who writes historical middle-grade fiction) – Frost Hollow Hall is very good but there are more if you look online. If your book club members enjoy fantasy meets ‘steampunk’ I loved Orphans of the Tide by Struan Murray. I read it a few years ago but it has stayed with me. That is quite a mix, admittedly, but I hope you find something in there. 🙂

      Thank you again for letting me know how much you enjoyed the books. If you have a moment and could leave a short review on Amazon it would be wonderful ☺️ (but no worries if too much trouble!).

      Happy New Year – and I hope you all find many more wonderful stories to get lost in over the coming months.

      Karen 📚 🚣‍♂️ 😊

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