Tuesday 11 February 2014

A Lost Liger has been spotted...

Hi everyone I wanted to warn you all that a big cat has been spotted in the mountains in Prague.  Some are saying it looks like a lion and some are saying it looks like a tiger but I am inclined to think it may be a liger!

You can find out all about this lost liger in Larry's latest story which is now available on Amazon to download!  In Larry the Liger - the Lost Liger, Larry runs away and ends up in an unknown place with unknown animals.  I hope you will join him on his final adventure where he aims to help children the world over learn about staying safe and being kind to others.

I love Larry and I hope you all do too.  Go and catch that lost liger before the poachers get him....

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00ID6YSTM
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ID6YSTM
and all other Amazon territories

Sunday 9 February 2014

Running away

It is something most people have thought about at some point in their lives: running away.  Who knows how many Reginald Perrins there really are.  As an adult sometimes the pressures of life and the responsibilities it brings can make some yearn for freedom and to get away from it all.  This is why that two week holiday/vacation is so important to so many.

I often wish I could be a child again - free to play and have fun as most children should be.  Free of the burdens that adult life can bring.  But then I recall times as a child when I wanted to run away too...

My mum often regales me with her recollections of me attempting to run away.  She says how well I must have been brought up because my small vanity-style case was always packed with clean underwear, slippers and clean nightclothes oh and my toothbrush!  I'm not sure where I thought I was going, so ill prepared, but I was very young and never made it past the garage at the end of the garden...

I asked my mum why she never ran after me and she laughed and said, "I could see you from the kitchen and I knew you would always come back!"  Which I did!  I can't recall why I ever decided to run away but it would have been something very insignificant, I have no doubt, as I certainly had no cause to run away.

Sadly there are children who feel they have no other choice than to run away.  Their home lives are possibly unbearable as they have to deal with treatment no children should...

According to The Children's Society, Make Runaways Safe campaign, 'every five minutes a child in the UK runs away from home'.  They also state that 'over 100,000 children in the UK run away every year'.  These are alarming statistics.  It is encouraging that there are such campaigns doing such wonderful work to help our vulnerable young.

With each Larry the Liger story, I touch upon issues children often have to deal with including bullying, fitting in, making friends, accepting others, starting school, understanding dangers... 

The final story: Larry the Liger - the Lost Liger, finds Larry making a decision because he feels he has no other choice.  He feels unwanted and unsafe so he runs away.  Just like that.  Just like countless numbers of children do each year the world over...

In The Lost Liger, Larry finds himself in strange surroundings and realises the animals he meets do not always have good intentions towards him.  He also wishes he had not run away but he has no idea how he can go home.  The story follows the young, liger cub as he tries to cope with being away from home.

I hope this story will help children understand the realities of running away.  I also hope children will learn there can be great dangers 'out there'.  This story is suitable for children, and adults, of all ages.  It has no real violence but very mild threat to highlight some of the dangerous situations Larry faces so far away from those that love him.

Larry the Liger - the Lost Liger is coming very soon.  I hope you will all share news of this new release with families and friends everywhere.  I would love to think the Larry the Liger series creates an opening for families to discuss sometimes delicate subjects.  We can all help our children learn and we should all do our best to keep our children safe from harm...

Happy reading everyone and I look forward to saying "Larry the Liger - the Lost Liger" is now available on Amazon to download.  I promise it will be very soon :)

You can download the other Larry the Liger stories here:
http://www.tinyurl.com/c4totfu UK
http://www.tinyurl.com/bnxc42r US

You can support the great work of the Make Runaways Safe campaign and the Children's Society here:
http://makerunawayssafe.org.uk/

Tuesday 4 February 2014

Goodbye my Larry, goodbye my friend...

The time has come and I have to say I am feeling quite emotional about it.  I have almost finished the final Larry the Liger story.  A lot of love went into bringing the little liger to life and I am proud to say I wrote the ten stories.

It's always amazing how a simple idea can turn into something wonderful.  I had a good feeling about Larry ever since Fergus suggested we write about a liger cub who was abandoned outside a Prague zoo: Larry the Liger - his father was a lion, his mother was a tiger!  The stories pretty much flowed from me and Larry's character grew and grew, as will he!  Once I had the illustration for Larry by the talented Des Campbell I really felt like I knew Larry.  He became one of my children and got lots of attention from me when I was able!

I think, as a writer, once you feel that flow and the writing comes naturally then you know you are onto a good thing.  I had a spell of writer's block last year but that wasn't Larry's fault and once I sat myself back in position with my bacon crisps the magic returned once again.  To feel the words flow from your finger tips is a gift from somewhere unseen.  It makes me truly appreciate the opportunity I have had to work with little Larry.

So the last story in the Larry the Liger series, number ten of ten, is nearly ready but I need to do some final editing as it is a little longer than I would like for a short, chapter book but then this final story (currently unnamed!) will be published to Amazon for download.  I am very excited and also sad that this is the end of Larry's journey. 

I can honestly say, "Larry it has been a true pleasure and I will miss you very much.  Should the world beg for more then we can pick up where we left off."

Release date coming soon - watch this space.  Share the Larry love.  His journey is coming to an end...

www.larrytheliger.co.uk