The Macaw of Doom flies!
Hello everyone!
After a couple of sleepless nights, I was terrified no one would stop and say hello, let alone buy a copy of The Macaw of Doom yesterday at Waterstones Ashford on launch day.
But I was proved wrong by the wonderful customers and managed to sell ten copies in my two hour slot yesterday - nine more than I’d hoped!
One of reasons I was worried no one would be interested in books about animals was some feedback I received when I sent The Mystery of the Missing Fur, the first book in the series, to agents a few years ago. According to the agent, only very young children like books about animals and once they hit 9 or 10 they’re not interested in animal stories.
The feedback was at odds with the type of books I read as a child right up to my teen years from Born Free to Olga Da Polga and Fantastic Mr Fox to the weird and wonderful The Magic Pudding. It’s also at odds with what seems popular at the moment with Paul O Grady’s animal gang books doing well and there are not one, but two, books about bears - The Last Bear and The Good Bear - by two different authors with similar stories about girls making friends with the said bears and saving them. (Pity the poor author out there writing a book about any kind of bear at the moment.)
Yesterday confirmed what I really knew in the back of my mind. The agent was talking nonsense. I chose to launch the book on World Parrot Day, the brainchild of the World Parrot Trust which wanted to highlight the exotic bird trade back in 2004. Children were drawn to the wonderful covers by Lisa Supple and were really engaged with how macaws and African greys are trafficked as pets and the devastation this causes in their natural habitats. They proved to be far more aware of endangered species, deforestation and wildlife conservation than many adults, mostly thanks to the primary school curriculum.
If any of you have bought a copy of The Macaw of Doom, thank you. I really hope you enjoy it. If anyone knows of anyone with children aged 8 and older who love reading (and animals) then please spread the word.
If you’d like to buy The Macaw of Doom, a fast-paced mystery, it’s available at Waterstones, Amazon and other stores, or I’m very happy to send you a signed copy directly, if you get in touch.
Hope you have a lovely long Bank Holiday!
Congratulations Michele <3