Book Spotlight: Peter Little Wing by Canadian Children's Author Regan W. H. Macaulay...

I recently released my first ever middle-grade novel. I’m so incredibly excited and proud...it was about 20 years in the making.

I wrote Peter Little Wing (book one of an upcoming series of four novels for readers 8 and up) shortly after my first visit to Aotearoa New Zealand. I went there as a pre-wedding honeymoon with my then fiancé, now husband, Kevin. To say this place was inspiring—the gorgeous landscape that one can only attempt to capture in photographs and video, the wildly fascinating creatures (mostly birds!), and warm, friendly people (who often call themselves kiwi—after their national icon, the kiwi bird)—it had my imagination bursting with possibilities. The characters came first, and their locations: the New Zealand National Aquarium in Napier, Hawke’s Bay’s art deco town, and the facility next door called Marineland (which I called Marine Rescue in the book). These were to be critters from captivity, but their quest would see them stranded in the wilderness, that much I knew. 

I crafted a story of adventure—a quest to save the grandfather of a kiwi named Peter, but I also infused the book with truths about a real place. And the characters were all real and very unique animals, often endemic to New Zealand. I want readers to find out about this wonderful place and the creatures who inhabit it, while they’re whisked away on a journey that these uncommon and endangered creatures take—an adventure not dissimilar to the one Kevin and I embarked on all the way back in November of 2003.

And so, it came to be that a story about Peter, a captive Southern Fiordland tokoeka kiwi, and his friends from the National Aquarium and Marine Rescue—Onion, a little blue penguin with an inner-ear imbalance; Tim, a tuatara with Generalized Anxiety Disorder; and Rangi, a kea with clipped wings—and their quest through the unfamiliar wilderness of New Zealand in search of three ingredients needed to create an elixir to cure Peter’s ailing grandfather, Nandy Enzo, flowed out onto my laptop screen. After years of rewrites, submissions, notes from editors, publishers, and beta readers, more revisions, and lots more rejections, I found a home for Peter Little Wing, and the book is out in the wild!

Together, this unusually diverse group of friends traverse the length of the South Island of Aotearoa, all the way across the Cook Strait and back home to the North Island. They learn what they are all capable of in the wild of the wop wops, and what the world beyond the "Walls of Shadows" of Peter’s habitat is all about. And I finally had the opportunity to learn the ins and outs—the digressions, and the main but multiple paths—of taking a book from inspiration through to publication, and now beyond.

Allow me to share a bit of the story with you now…specifically, the second half of Chapter 1. It should give you an idea of where the story goes from there. 

An excerpt from the second half of Chapter 1:

"We can't expect much help from the humans. They just don't know what's wrong—" Nandy Enzo sneezed and a shiver like ice ran along Peter's spine. Nandy's brown, wilting feathers swelled, then fell again as he heaved a sigh.

Peter swayed on the spot. He opened his beak as he searched his mind for words. Nothing came out.

"I'm just a bit knackered is all, don't fret. Come back later and we will sing some stories..." And his grandfather was asleep.

Peter turned and climbed out of the burrow, his cheeks burning and his insides churning. As he breached the den hole,

Peter was met by the rest of his kiwi family. They circled around and watched him closely. He explored the expressions on their faces—their collective gaze was heavy.

Peter opened his beak. "I...I didn't know what to say to him."

Bess rushed up and put her neck around his in an embrace. "You didn't have to say anything." Her voice shook.

Peter pulled away. "I should have said something while he was still awake."

"It's all right, Peter." Uncle Lloyd took a step towards him. Peter did not find his uncle's hesitant tone reassuring.

"I thought I could be braver than all our kiwi ancestors from Nandy's stories." Worry ate at the edges of Peter's skin. "When it really mattered, I couldn't say anything." Shame drizzled from the top of his head to the tips of his toes like an electric sweat.

"Hmph!" Ms. Elsa sniffed, interrupting whatever reply Bess might have given. "I doubt the humans' foul medicines jammed into the side of his beak or injected into his thigh, or anything fancy like that will cure Enzo. No, no! It didn't work for Louis, so it won't work miracles now."

Peter bristled upon Ms. Elsa's mention of his father. "But there must be something we can do." Peter held back a glare as an anxious pick stabbed at his heart.

"Us? A heap of captive kiwi? I suppose a young upstart like you will succeed where even our human caretakers have failed. Ha!" Ms. Elsa snorted, dislodging a bit of dirt from her nostril, sending it through the air towards the burrow. It landed neatly along the top rim of the entranceway.

Peter couldn't help but peek at it with a sideways glance. Normally, he would have to stifle a chortle, but this time the mood felt too somber. "But you just said their human medicines aren't going to work!" Heat inflamed Peter's face. He struggled to keep his voice even.

"The boy's right, on that count." Ms. Elsa was apparently oblivious to her dirt-booger projectile. "The humans are ignorant. We're going to have to figure out a way to tell them what Nandy Enzo requires."

"How in the name of Nature are you going to do that?" Lloyd's voice rose with every word he spoke. "You going to walk up to a human when they come in to do maintenance and just natter at them? Think they'll know what you're on about?"

"What do you suggest?" Ms. Elsa puffed out her aging feathers. They vibrated with hostility.

"It's just silly is all. I don't have any idea what we should do."

Aunt Myrtle joined in, a hint of sarcasm tainting her voice. "That's very useful." She then turned her attention to the fussing and grooming of Uncle Lloyd's feathers, despite his protests.

Peter sighed loudly. "Do you know what he needs?" There was a significant pause while Peter waited. "What would you tell the humans to do, if you could?"

Ms. Elsa cocked her head. She scratched at the ground with two of her toes, making circular patterns in the earth, while Peter's patience grew thinner. Then she hummed a tune. Peter thought he might have recognized it. Had he heard this tune while inside his egg? Did Nandy Enzo used to sing him to sleep this way? Ms. Elsa snapped her head back up, and her beak wagged. "It's a matter of ingredients."

"What ingredients?" Peter took a quick step forward.

"That's the difficult part. The song is from the time of our ancestors from the wop wops. It's been going
round and round in my head for days, now. It must have the answers we need! But none of you have ever seen or smelled the items mentioned in this song. You were all born in captivity. I haven't likely, either. So, I do not know the names for these ingredients, boy."

Peter's gizzard rose at Ms. Elsa's mention of never having smelled or seen items from the wild. Peter's secret surfaced in his mind, but his heart sank. "What good is that to us, then?"

"Now, now, boy, try to be patient! Patience is a virtue every winged creature on the islands should have in abundance. Patience and caution. Caution and precaution. Precaution and prudence and vigilance. Constant vigilance!"

Peter felt his eyes roll and quickly stared back at the ground. He lifted his face to Ms. Elsa again. "Is there anything you can tell us about the ingredients? Any clues?"

"Yes, yes, of course, boy! Now, let me see...it's a rhyme in three verses. We've all heard it. Haven't the foggiest what it means, but I'm sure it's important:"

Remember kiwi, when under the weather,
Take this mixture in perfect measure:
Meal from the dust of the oily wood tree, Gold-banded stabber-folk make remedy
Bid farewell to the germs on your insides,
Say goodbye to the bugs on your outsides.

Peter was dumbfounded by the sing-song lullaby.

Suddenly, Bess chimed in. "Yes, I've heard this! You used to sing it to me, Mum." She nuzzled against Aunt Myrtle's side and proceeded to sing the second verse.

Add the muscle of this animal chest,
With colours bright as sunset in the west. Grind its stone armour and extract you'll find, And salt from the ocean for gizzard to grind. With vitamins, you'll be rejuvenated,
From lethargy, you'll be liberated.

Aunt Myrtle picked up the tune:

Gather the petals of the crimson bloom, Collect its dust 'fore the stabber-folk consume. Petals like star bursts stem the bleeding,

Fine powder dust gives pain no feeling. Stir and warm each item overnight,

And then you will find that all is put right. "And that's all."

"That's more like a riddle than a nursery rhyme," Peter muttered. Might as well just retell old history tales to Nandy and see if that does him any good. "How is anyone supposed to figure that out?"

"Don't be a hard case, boy. You've far too much bitterroot in your blood for such a young one." Ms. Elsa snorted.

"But the humans won't recognize these ingredients." Bess glanced at Peter with a glint in her eye that told him arguing would do no good. "Humans aren't in touch with The Deep Understanding. They've drifted away from it."

"Oh, she's right," said Uncle Lloyd after a prolonged but not unusual absence from the conversation. "They never see what's right in front of them."

"I'm not sure we'd do better. How would we recognize anything outside of our habitat?" When Bess glanced at Peter again, he thought of his adventures she was helping him keep secret. A song he often heard playing throughout the Aquarium during the nights of his escapes jumped to mind.

Hit the trail, down an old dirt road.

"That's just fine. I've always said it's too dangerous out there, anyway. Best to stay in here where we belong." Ms. Elsa's eyes flashed over Peter. He felt a sting in her stare. Did she know about his nighttime escapes?

"Look now, how does any of this help my Da? We can't just let him cark it..." Lloyd's voice trailed off.

The rest of the family continued to squawk on about the terrors of the world outside and all the fearful things they'd find if they were out among the non-captive creatures of the wop wops— the ingredients Nandy Enzo required surely being just as dangerous in some unknown way.

Peter stalked off, allowing the dilemma to sink in without the pressure of the family. He knew that there was no way to communicate these needs to the staff at the Aquarium. Even if they could, the humans wouldn't make any sense out of these clues. They were only human beings, after all. An idea gnawed at him, returning him to his memories as a chick.

***

"I should like to go outside on a real adventure to the wop wops—out into the middle of nowhere." Young Peter quickly suppressed a yawn.

"Perhaps someday you shall, Peter Little Wing," replied Nandy Enzo. "But remember this—captivity is not a bad place. Inside can be good in some ways and bad in others, but so can the wop wops. Whether you are captive or wild, always listen to the voice inside you with an unfettered heart. It will tell you what you need to know with a clarity that Ms. Elsa's tall tales never will!"

Peter watched his Nandy Enzo chortle and sigh between drooping eyelids. Nandy pushed in more warm feathers and twigs around him, then he whispered to Peter one last time before sleep sped him away to the land of dreams.

"Ah, little one. If only your parents had lived to see what a brave and intelligent kiwi you are growing up to be."

***
...Shoved off, the song continued to play in Peter's mind…on my own.

l have to unriddle the riddles. l'll go into the wop wops and

find the ingredients. But l won't go alone. 

Get your copy of Peter Little Wing directly from my website (especially if you want a signed copy!): https://www.reganwhmacaulay.com/peter-little-wing.html

…from Pandamonium Publishing House: https://pandamoniumpublishing.com/product/peter-little-wing-pre-order-for-february-6-2023/

 …and anywhere online, including Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Peter-Little-Wing-Regan-Macaulay/dp/1989506658/ref=sr_1_1?crid=380CJPPZKLGM5&keywords=Peter+Little+Wing+by+Regan+W.+H.+Macaulay&qid=1674148126&sprefix=peter+little+wing+by+regan+w.+h.+macaulay%2Caps%2C76&sr=8-1

Regan W. H. Macaulay is a multi-award-winning author of novels, short stories, children's literature, and scripts.

Writing is her passion, but she's also a producer and director of theatre, film, and television (Triple Take Productions). She is an animal enthusiast as well, which led her to become a Certified Canine and Feline Massage Therapist (Kuri K9 Massage).

As an author, Regan spins fun-filled tales with whimsical characters that charm and delight readers. Her carefully crafted narratives, filled with enchanting characters, offer new vocabulary and gentle wisdom.

Each adventure portrays unique animal characters and weaves in teachable moments.

Regan hails from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where she lives with her husband, Kevin, Chihuahua Raxl, Siamese cat Jacobi (Jack), and an assortment of amphibians and fish. 

Her award-winning picture books include Mixter Twizzle’s Breakfast, Beverlee Beaz the Brown Burmese (and Beverlee la chatte de Birmanie), Sloth the Lazy Dragon, and Libby the Lobivia Jajoiana (all from Mirror World Publishing), Merry Myrrh the Christmas Bat, Tamara Turtle’s Life So Far, and Chloe the Unfeathered Parrot (Pandamonium Publishing House), and Dog Band (Iguana Books).

She also writes books and short stories for adult readers, including her Trilogy of Horrifically Half-baked Ham: Space Zombies! (based on the feature film Space Zombies: 13 Months of Brain-Spinning Mayhem! available on DVD and Amazon Prime), They Suck, and Horror at Terror Creek.

Find Regan:

Website: https://www.reganwhmacaulay.com/  

Don’t forget to subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/686921778797/freeflashfiction

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@reganmacaulay?lang=en

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reganw.h.macaulay/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/regan.macaulay/

X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/reganwhmacaulay

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj7V0ndozKJlL4wBr4oHWlQ

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/regan-macaulay-18989a34/?original_referer=

Harness up your Reindeer and Get Ready for a New Children's Christmas Classic by Tina Ruiz...

Tina Ruiz has outdone herself with her heartwarming children's holiday story Blitzen Learns How to Fly. The characters are believable. The pictures are bright and cheery, and the story will hold a child's attention from the first page to the last. The lesson on bullying and confidence building is evident, and the rest of the tale is simply charming. This is the perfect gift for every young person.

Blitzen was born at the North Pole, but he is unable to fly. Because of that, he is taunted and called names by the other reindeers. Rudy saw what was happening, and he decided to teach Blitzen how to gain some confidence. And with a little magic powder from Santa, Blitzen is not only able to fly, but he becomes part of Santa's famous team.

Amazon Buy Links

E-Book - Paperback

Tina Ruiz was born in Germany, but her family moved to Canada when she was in grammar school. She began writing children's stories when her own were little. Through the years Ruiz wrote twenty-seven books. Most of those stories went into readers for the Canada Board of Education. Two did not. Mayor Shadoe Markley is a story about a ten-year-old girl who becomes Mayor for a Day through a contest at school.

Little did Ruiz know that story would “change the world.” The book came out at early January 1988. By the end of that same month, everyone was calling the mayor's office at City Hall, trying to get the forms to fill out so their children could participate in the contest. Thirty years later that same contest is still runs at full speed. And not only in Calgary, but all across Canada. The Mayor's Youth Council is now in charge of the celebrated contest and invites Ruiz to attend and meet the lucky winner. It's usually followed by a hand-written thank you card from the mayor himself. Recently Ruiz was invited to be part of the Grand Opening of Calgary's New Library where the mayor shook her hand and introduced her to the attendees.

Tina has worked in television and radio as well as being a professional clown at the Children's Hospital. She lives in Calgary with her husband who encourages her to write her passion be it high-quality children's books or intriguing romance.

Stay connected with Tina Ruiz on her Facebook group Tina Speaks Out.

Guest Post: The Modern Book Tour by Nate Friedman...

Do you have a book? Then you can have a book tour! It doesn’t need to be any more complicated than that. Some will tell you it’s a waste of time. While it is true that most things are done online nowadays, I believe it’s more important than ever to be out there in person, sharing your book with the world. How else will people know you and your mission personally? The amazing conversations you have with readers, fellow writers and the smiles are all icing on the cake. Writing can be a lonely endeavor at times and being out there allows you put all of your hard work into perspective. And the cherry on top: free market research! Ask someone working at a bookstore what the hottest new books are, or watch your target reader and see how they navigate the shelves. That is all information you did not have before. It’s not about becoming an overnight success, it’s each successful day along the way. The challenge: selling as many books as you can at each stop. You might never feel like you are selling enough, however, what you get is information and learning, more than you ever could sitting at home or online. The most important part is progress - momentum. Remember this in all your creative endeavours: people want to get onto a moving train. Let me now outline some of the steps that will help you in getting your train started. I hope it helps you take that next step!

The Vision

The first thing you need to do is imagine your book tour and what you want it to be. Listen to your gut instinct and don’t rule anything out. Factor in time for yourself and make it just long enough to leave you wanting more. For some, this could mean taking a full year to peddle their book across the country. For others, this could be one event a week over a period of 6 months. For others still, maybe 10 bookstores in 10 days. Once your vision is created, that is what will help you sell the idea. People will feel you getting excited and will want to be on board. You’ll be the biggest party in town! Go to places that excite you, to places you’ve never been before, and even places you don’t want to go. Sometimes this resistance is exactly what you need to push through, to reach to the next level.

The Call

I am not talking about the call of the wild, but an actual phone call. Don’t think about it, just do it. We live in a time where we readily have access to copious amounts of information. Look up the phone number of bookstores near and far and call them (it’s free!). Don’t take any of these things for granted. The store managers you are calling want to say yes. They love you. They are probably as excited as you are, about having a new author at their store. Get a few no’s!? Good! That means you are heading in the right direction. You’ll feel even better when the next store you call is interested. If you’re the script sort here it is:

(smile: it comes through over the phone) “Hi I’m {name} author of {book name}. I was wondering who I would speak to about doing a book signing event. *gets person* “Hello there {say their name}. I’m {name} and I’m excited to be organizing a book tour! We’re looking to book {# of events} in {location} for the {insert tour name- makes it sound official}. We’ve already booked {insert stores booked already- remember moving train} and we’d love to have you on board. *wait, listen, really focus on the person you are talking to*

Final note: give them a date and time. If your vision is clear, you’ll know where they fit into your schedule. You’re not doing anyone favours by giving them an open calendar (it screams unprepared!) Also, have a backup date and time available, and if it doesn’t work out you still have a contact person for future tours. I always ask myself “How can I make this call fun?” before it’s made. Maybe you want to get an iced tea and sit on the patio with your legs up, GREAT! Life is about enjoying. Don’t just exist, THRIVE…. Oh, and at the end of the calls you’ll have a book tour.

The Preparation

This is where you use your writing and creativity skills to think of unique ways to advertise your events. I’m a bit old school when it comes to this: we put up these posters around where my events were taking place. There’s a multitude of ways to spread the word: internet advertising boards, local newspapers, your own website *hint-hint, nudge-nudge*, word of mouth, social media blitz including ‘what’s going on in {insert city}’ facebook group, book tour trailer. Anything and everything you think of, it will get people’s attention. We did t-shirts and colouring pages because it felt fun. Again, you have a style and a way you like to do things. That’s what makes you who you are, and the reason your book will sell a bazillion copies on your tour! Don’t forget to use your contacts: do you know anyone who is a news reporter? A school teacher or principal? Someone who advertises for their job/company? Ask for all the help you can!

There is also the question of whether to do paid advertising. You have to believe that anything you put in, you will get out. Sometimes these dividends take time to materialize. Decide on a budget. Be true to where you are at in your career and what you can realistically afford. My challenge here for you is to take what I call a “50-year approach”. Look at your career long-term and see how everything you do will help your career. Without a doubt, you know you will get where you need to go. It also allows the small mistakes and mishaps to be learning experiences, instead of career altering events. At the end, you only get one shot at each tour stop. Imagine yourself, sitting in that author chair on the day of the event, with less people than you wanted walking around. Think to yourself, “What more could have I done to advertise this event better?” Give, give, give, it all comes back in time.

The Event and Beyond

This is where the fun begins! Notice the excitement, the fear, the worry, the butterflies! These are all positive feelings. They mean growth in your career and increasing book sales. Don’t feel anything? I challenge you to build bigger- build something that scares you! Do the craziest thing you can think of!  Here you are, in a new bookstore and/or city. You’ve already won! You’re a working, traveling author, you are a professional. Your only job now is to be present, be yourself. People want to see your book succeed. They’ll even give you feedback directly, listen and weigh it. Try talking to as many people as you can. When you go home at the end of the tour, I guarantee you it won’t be the number of books you sold you think about. It will be the small moments and smiles along the way. It will be conversation that gave you your next great idea, the motivation you got from someone else, these are the things that will remind you why you write in the first place. And the book recommendations 😊! Ultimately, we’re all readers. It’s only being in the arena where you can learn and make adjustments. It does take a lot to put yourself out there, I don’t discount that, but it’s real. Take note of people’s names, make as many contacts as you can. Look at who publishes your favourite books in that genre and send them an email. Motivate people on their journey, tell people why you think your book is the coolest and why they should buy it! (Prepare a quick elevator pitch if you haven’t already and begin with your mission)

Also, take personal notes: what could we have done to improve in this location? What could we have brought? What worked? What didn’t work? Failing is not a tragedy, but failing to learn from it is. Take note on a deeper level, is this your thing? What part of the tour were you most excited by? Do you want to do more of these? How many should you do? Do you prefer reading and school visits? Be TRUE to yourself. This is all information you have now because you took the initiative and made that phone call. When the book tour is over, be sure to Thank everyone who was involved. They let you into their store and worked hard to make it possible, you have nothing to be but grateful. These heroes allow you to be an author.

At the end of the tour, and most importantly, DON’T STOP. Ride the wave. Sit down and plan the next one. You are one step closer to the Bestseller List (and if you’re already there, that’s one more person you shared your work with).

In closing, you are 100% responsible for how your book performs. 100%. Other people can help you along your journey but you alone are responsible. A book tour is a great way to spread your book to a larger audience and share your gift with the world. I once read that Tom Cruise, at one time the biggest movie star in the world, has a hand in every single movie he has ever been a part of. And you’re no Tom Cruise….yet (but those sunglasses you have look cool). The best way to approach your book tour, and your career in general, is that you are making it happen. Anything done by others is simply gravy. It is a lot of work. Seek the advice of professionals when it seems natural to do so, they want to help. The whole endeavour is rewarding. However, at the end of the day, you will be surprised by what you are capable of.

Let me be the first to congratulate you on YOUR book tour. Have any questions? E-mail me. I mean it, let me know about anything I can do to help you on your journey. Let me leave you with the best moment of my recent book tour. I’m teary eyed writing about it! So here goes: A young boy, of about five years, comes to the table to do some colouring pages I’ve left out. I’m thinking he’ll just draw some scribbles and be on his way. But instead, he focuses in and really gets into colouring. I joke with the parents that he’s really enjoying it. The mom says “Oh, he’ll do the whole thing” and she goes to sit down. As he is colouring we start talking about why he thinks he’s so good at colouring and what he wants to do when he grows up (he wanted to be an author, guys!). After doing a great job colouring, I decide I’m going to give this kid a book. I got to inscribe it saying “keep following your dreams - hope to work with you one day.” And then we took a picture together as he smiled. My heart melted. The fact I get to have moments like this that affect people’s lives is everything. I have been afforded the chance to follow my mission, which you’ll see in all my books: “I want to change the world one smile at a time.” What’s your mission? I guarantee a book tour will help.

THANK YOU FOR READING ☺

Nate Friedman is the Author of “The Coffee Monster” and “The Last Hockey Fight.” He loves to travel and craves adventure in his free time. Along with making people smile and laugh, he is constantly pursuing his dream of being a writer on Saturday Night Live. You can find out more about his work at www.natetfriedman.com or www.facebook.com/natefriedmanauthor. Thanks again.