A Dog's Tale about Tails
Several years ago when I was writing the early drafts of Tails, my son and I went to Children’s Day. This is an annual free community event where the local park is turned into a kid’s carnival. Sticky-fingered kids consume candy-floss, popcorn, and fizzy drinks before gathering their courage and creep through the haunted house tent – Boo! They splatter targets with neon paint from the paintball guns. Town kids experience a taste of country by patting tame cows, lambs, and ponies. Everyone wins a prize at the carnival tents – toss a ball and smash down the cans. Ride on the back of a Harley – whoosh. Navigate the maze or dig for pirates’ treasure. Budding artists slash paint across canvases or create recycled sculptures. A magic day run by volunteers.
There was one tent parked away from all the others – white letters on blue: SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). Three years before our beloved furry family member, Jessie, a Staffy, had passed away from old age. Grief-stricken, I hadn’t been able to face bringing another dog into our household. Recently, we had started having family conversations about adopting a dog. And we all agreed our new friend would be small to medium sized (easy to transport), a family and child friendly breed, and preferably one that didn’t shed (too much).
One step inside the tent, and my son and I fell in love with Boss. All puppy: soft droopy ears, bumbling paws, and heart-melting eyes. Within milliseconds, my son was playing a game of fetch (otherwise known as I’ll run and you chase me).
Boss, wasn’t a golden retriever, but in my heart, I knew I’d found my Buster Boy.
‘Tails’ is a classic ‘hero’s journey’ story, a coming of age adventure for Kywah, a young silvertail on the cusp of maturity, whose hopes for taking his place among his pack’s adult community have seemingly been dashed by the loss of his kind’s most prized asset: his tail. A silvertail’s tail is its connection to its environment and its fellow pack members. Sadly, the magic it contains is not only prized by the creatures but by human magicians, whose power is waning but whose ambition is not.
When fate intervenes and Kywah sets out on a mission to find the deep magic that will protect his pack from hunters eager to earn the wizard’s bounty he finds help and friendship in the most unlikely places, and danger around every corner.
This is a rich and multi-layered story that will appeal to a wide age-range. Wendy Scott is an exciting author who has a real gift for storytelling and world building and Kywah is a delightful protagonist who will have readers rooting for his success and redemption every step of his arduous journey. The pastel hued world the silvertails inhabit is one that readers will look forward to revisiting in (hopefully) many books to follow.
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Wendy writes fantasy and children’s novels.
One of the creeds she lives by is to always – Live a life less ordinary!
Gold Medal Winner: The Wishing Shelf Book Awards UK 2015.
Silver Medal Winner: International Readers’ Favorite Book Awards 2016.
Finalist: The Wishing Shelf Book Awards UK 2016.
Gold Quality Marks: BooksGoSocial 2017.
Treat Award Blue: Rave Reviews Book Club KCT International Awards 2017.
Please visit http://www.authorchildrens.com/ to learn more, read Wendy’s blog, sign up for her newsletter, or to leave her a message. She loves hearing from readers.
Pen Names
Fantasy ~ Wendy Scott
Children’s ~ WJ Scott
Romance ~ Wendy Jayne
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