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#HistFicThursdays - Gothic Horror - The Curse of Heatherwell House

  The Curse of Heatherwell House (Working Title) came from a slightly different place than many of the other stories in this collection. When I decided that I was going to put together a collection of short stories with the theme of Gothic Horror, I quizzed Clemency on what would scare her. She said “zombies”. Not the easiest thing to work with for Gothic Horror – give me a ghost any day. Here are some thoughts about how I went about creating The Curse of Heatherwell House … Once I had spoken to Clem about the things she finds scary – and discovered which of my back catalogue she found the creepiest – I started to get an idea for a story. It involved a vicar (obviously the younger son of a wealthy family, as all these Gothic vicars seem to be) who took over gravedigging responsibilities because the rest of his parish were too sick to do it. I was pleased with the premise – and perhaps it will turn into another story. Watch this space… But there was one major sticking problem: whils...

Book Review: Siggy the Soccer Dog by Brian Frederick (Illustrations by Vivien Sarkany)



Siggy the Soccer Dog tells the story of a very ordinary sausage dog, who does extraordinary things in his dreams. This charming, very traditional, picturebook story takes the reader on a dreamy adventure in which Siggy is the hero of the hour in a football match.

This is a very gentle tale which would make a wonderful bedtime story for any child who loves either football or dogs. There was only one part I wasn't 100% convinced by, and that was the football chant/song which was included, but then I've never been to a live football match and anyone who has been might tell you that it captured the atmosphere perfectly.

The composition of the book is stunning: it is like a work of art. The words dance across the page, accompanied by perfect illustration. I would have loved to be able to take a hard copy of the book into school for my class to enjoy.

In summary, an utterly charming story and a book which reflects the magic of dreams.


Blurb

Siggy looks so cute as he twitches and turns in his sleep.

But as they watch him, little do the family know that in his dream he is “Siggy Sosidj” the star player for Manchester United. It’s up to Siggy to rescue his team in the biggest game of his life. But can he do it?

Join Siggy and a multi-national cast of doggie players to find out - in a fast-paced, beautifully illustrated tale about overcoming the odds, staying true to your purpose and being kind... 


Social Connections

Twitter/Blog:
@BrianFredAuthor
@lovebooksgroup 
@lovebookstours 

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