Today we talk about Feather, Brush and Longtail, a book by Andrew Teal published with our publishing house Europe Books.
Europe Books had the pleasure of interviewing the author Andrew Teal to get to know him better, his love for nature and fantasy, and what inspired him that led him to the writing of his book Feather, Brush and Longtail.
Below you can find our interview. Take a seat and enjoy your reading!!!
- What are the crucial themes of your book?
The messages from my book are multi themed, each an observation and equally weighted in importance:
– every living thing has a unique gift that sometimes needs to be shared and certainly appreciated by others.
– every person has a gift that is unique and special, perhaps being able to recreate the beauty of a rose in paint or simply the magic of a smile or the warmth of a hug. We should all notice and appreciate these qualities in others.
– there should be no barriers between communication. What is needed and precious to each other has to be known.
– working together as a team can overcome common evils or challenges. Each member of any team adds something special to that team. The key is to recognise and utilise the individual’s gift to the team’s goals.
– how amazing the world is and the animals I feature in the book, we barely notice their presence in our world nor the struggles they face to survive. How many people have seen the beauty of a cream bellied Barn owl patrolling the fields or the flashing red of a fox skulking in the hedgerow? These animals are very special, easily identified and can be seen by many if we just look towards our many towns and fields.
- Is there a particular moment in your life that led you to the writing of your book?
At age 11 years old I attended Lofthouse Gate Junior school in Lofthouse which is a small school in West Yorkshire. In my final year I completed a project about kestrels, a pair nesting in a cluster of trees outside the school field. I became amazed and fascinated by these birds and the fact that they can hover over a field pinpointing prey and if they could do this what could other birds do. My professional career was for 35 years caring for and supporting people who had a learning disability whose lives were very different to mine and individually challenging for the person in many ways. Each person I met had a gift which was inspiring but their own and they shared this gift with whoever took time to notice. These are the times I recalled when thinking about putting pen to paper and writing the story reinforced my beliefs. I made the Lofthouse copse the scene of my story and a kestrel a star feature together with the other animals and the gifts they possess.
- How would you describe your writing style?
My style is developing as this is my first book. I have always written poetry and a few years ago wrote a poem dedicated to my wife who was competing in The Great North Run. This poem was published in a running magazine she subscribed to which I thought was quite a feat, nowhere near as tough as running the race mind. I wanted to include poetry in the book and how I saw the behaviour and mannerisms of Ermin the magpie; they lent themselves naturally to speak in rhyme and rhythm. Each of the characters in the story are introduced by a verse describing how I see them this leads them to take their place in what unfurls in the story. This was important to highlight the gifts each possesses and how this feeds into their selfless battle for survival. I write with humour and an appreciation of the subject with an exaggeration of the characteristics and enjoy including aspects of the wild, wide world.
- What is your ideal audience?
My ideal audience, the people who I would love to read my book with, are people who have an interest in nature and fantasy. Readers who have marvelled at a kestrel hovering at the roadside dancing with the wind, people who have caught sight of a sparrow dodging the thorns in a hedgerow or a fox crossing the road in front of them under the cover of darkness People who love a good story of good against evil but with with intrigue and surprise around every corner. I have included characteristics of animals I enjoy and I hope this will serve the audience with a desire to learn more and then appreciate more what amazing wildlife we have just outside our front doors. I hope people will want to read further adventures of the characters I have created or just imagine what and where they might venture in the future.
- Are you already working on a new project?
I have started to write book number two. This story will be set in the highlands of Scotland and again will involve travelling a great distance for some of the characters. This book will be the first introduction of man and how mankind’s intervention poses a massive and deadly threat to the wild animals who thrive in the rugged surroundings of the mountains and Glens. Will the biggars be able to reunite and how will they manage to work together are the major questions and new characters may be needed if life is to go on. This book will also answer some of the questions that remained unanswered from Feather, Brush and Longtail, the mysterious circumstances that led to the disappearance of Kran and Gull at the train crossing and how Nesta knew who Judda was and why had Judda travelled to Scotland in the past. I would also look at the examples within the story of strengths and weaknesses of a team and individual skills and attributes that make the teamwork.
Europe Books thanks the author Andrew Teal once again for taking the time and answering our questions. We are really pleased to have walked alongside him on the editorial path that led to the publication of his book Feather, Brush and Longtail. We wish him the best of luck for this novel and for his future works.
To you, my dear reader, I wish that the multi themed messages the author Andrew Teal wants to send out with his book, will somehow resonate with yourself, your inner thoughts, your life experience.
So, my dear reader, I just have to wish you to enjoy your reading and be ready to live a pleasant introspective journey !!!
Your Editor!