So Enjoy Day 7!
A graduate of Exeter
University in the early 1980s, I spent 20 years as a teacher of French, Latin
and Classical studies, before a change of career led me to writing children's
fiction. Currently residing in Abu Dhabi, I live with my husband and our
beautiful Tonkinese cat.
The
Shadow of Atlantis is the first in a series of time-travel adventures,
featuring 3 children and a rather special cat called Max. I'm now working on
the 17th book, The Shadow of the Great Fire. The series also includes several
novellas that feature Max the talking Tonkinese cat undertaking solo
adventures. As I take my young readers on a magical mystery tour through the past,
I'm hoping that my love of history, myth and legend will rub off on them
too.
Book 16 of the Shadows from the Past is a solo adventure for
the feline hero of the series, Max the talking Tonkinese cat. The story is set
in 1651, during the English Civil War:
The
rightful King of England is on the run. With a price on his head and in fear
for his life, Charles Stuart is desperate to escape his pursuers, the Parliamentarians
who executed his father. A rich reward has been offered for his capture and
everyone is on the lookout for the young man. Nowhere is safe. How will he ever
manage to flee the country without
help?
Never fear – the
Guardians of Time have a Special Agent lined up for the job … but he just so
happens to be a cat!
Top
Ten List:
TOP 10 FAVOURITE BOOKS
(in no particular order)
1. The Wind in the
Willows – Kenneth Grahame.
This is my all-time favourite book
from my childhood. Mr Toad was my hero!
2. The
Jeeves and
Wooster complete
series – P. G. Wodehouse. The master of comedy, Wodehouse’s lightness of touch
appears effortless and these books are wonderfully funny. I love them so much
that I even named one of my cats after the character of Bertie Wooster!
3. Pride and
Prejudice – Jane
Austen. As relevant today as it was
when it was written, this has to be one of the greatest classics ever. Austen’s
incisive observations and witty dialogue are timeless… and who wouldn’t love Mr
Darcy?
4. The Silver
Pigs – Lindsey Davies.
The first book in an entertaining
detective series set in Ancient Rome, featuring the amiable private
investigator Marcus Didius Falco. This was my favourite in the
series.
5. The Daughter of
Time – Josephine Tey.
I first read this as a teenager and it
remains one of my favourite mystery stories of all time. It also introduced me
to the story of Richard III and the fate of the princes in the Tower – the
subject of one of my own books, The Shadow of the
Two Princes.
6. Harry Potter and
the Philosopher’s Stone – J. K.
Rowling. I remember when this book
first came out – there was so much marketing and hype before it even appeared
in the shops that I was intrigued to find out what all the fuss was about. I
was bowled over by the great story, but also because all the little details are
so clever.
7. The Winter
King – Thomas Penn.
A non-fiction masterpiece that is a
must for all history buffs, this account of the reign of King Henry VII won the
accolade of History Book of the Year when it was published. I love this
author’s work. Thomas Penn presents history in such an engaging way that I find
his books difficult to put down.
8. The Brothers
York – Thomas Penn.
By the same author as above, this
compelling historical documentary recounts the lives of King Edward IV, the
Duke of Clarence and the infamous Richard III, three brothers of the House of York,
one of the two rival factions during the Wars of the Roses.
9. Sovereign – C. J.
Sansom. I have read all of C. J.
Sansom’s historical novels featuring the sleuthing lawyer, Matthew Shardlake.
This book is the third in the series, but it was the first one I read and maybe
that’s why it remains my favourite. Set during the reign of the notoriously
cruel Henry VIII, the narrative is gripping but also terrifying – so much so
that it actually gave me nightmares after reading it. However, the intelligent
and compassionate humanity of the protagonist lifts the story out of the mire
of Tudor brutality. Being a fast reader, I love novels that I can lose myself
in for a long time and, at 688 pages, this is a satisfyingly big, fat wedge of
a book!
10. The
Odyssey – Homer.
From the father of Greek storytelling,
this epic is the ultimate adventure – even though the tale is
thousands of years old, it remains fresh and exciting.
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