As my challenge to deliver all five books within my series ‘The Last Year of The Wild’ continues over the years, I feel more driven than ever to complete this mission in the light of our ever changing and often dangerous climate. Day in, day out, I learn more about our planet’s degradation, as we continue to risk losing 1 in 6 species of our British wildlife. Yet, I am ever more aware of the importance of writing a story of hope, in this climate anxious world of young people.
Writing the third installment of my series, has without doubt, been the hardest one to write so far. I took the decision early on, that whatever feedback I received from my first two books I would learn from it. Then taking this knowledge, I would work hard to create the next level of story. Hoping my readers as they grow older, will love the intensity, new characters and the deeper emotional journeys. In doing this, it has taken me over a year to complete this book and most of that time has been spent working with my wonderful editor, Helen, to whom I owe a great deal.
I have also finally written scenes which have been laying around in my imagination for years, just waiting for me to use them. Fun sketches, that I loved bringing alive, such as the Cockney Parrots, flying down the River Thames and landing on famous landmark buildings. To creating a feisty female Rabbit Leader ‘Dolores’ who knows more soil than any creature alive, and then there is the mischievous Badger ‘Meles’, who resides in a country house! However, some of the scenes were also challenging to write; from the aerials battles across landscapes to the array of creatures crowded into underground tunnels. To the characters discovering the secrets of the majestic ‘Major Oak’ and its amazing root system. Although any reader who loves animals, will I hope, enjoy immersing themselves in the world I have created.
At the heart of the story remains Rufus Robin and his community and his continual thirst to be loyal to the Human Beings, as they face the heat of the summer in 2060 and the challenges this poses them all. Yet, as the cast widens to include the familiar species that roam our landscapes, I wished to begin to dive deeper into the importance of our soils, waterways and how our lands can repair, with a little help from our wildlife!
I hope that my readers hold on tight for this journey as it twists and turns, hopefully filling them with excited anticipation and ultimately beginning to offer them hope for the future of our world.
