Summer's Dark Waters - out on August 19th

So, I’ve set the release date for Summer’s Dark Waters to August 19th, which gives me a few weeks to get the word out.

Writing it has been a bit of a rollercoaster experience- I had never written a book for kids before (and, depending on how it’s received, I may never do again- although I do already have some rough notes for a potential sequel). It was originally started as a project that my niece pleaded with me to write- and back then it was more of a superhero adventure than anything else. A lot has changed, but the two kids who are the main characters are the same. And then there’s the lake...

Having only just received the proof copies, I haven’t yet told her that the book is (at long last) ready and will be out soon. It was originally written for her, so I hope she still wants to read it. I guess that’s the pain of writing for kids- they grow up and leave things behind. Still, I’ll find out in the next week or so.

This was also the first book in which I collaborated with an artist- Ankolie, whose work I’ve loved since I first saw it. Somehow her vision for the characters matched mine, and as a result there are illustrations throughout the book which mirror how I imagined those scenes being. They range from scary to poignant- which is exactly as it should be. Although the book features wild supernatural happenings it’s also about the value of friendship and family- no matter how odd your friends and family might be. The second-last illustration inside the book is my favourite of the lot. It’s a perfect encapsulation of that scene, and when I first saw the drawing and the expressions of the characters, it took my breath away. How likely is it that a scene can be imagined identically by an author and an artist? There’s no computer in the world that can work that one out.

So I’m rather more than pleased about how that turned out, and if she’s willing I’ll be requesting her talent for a number of future projects.
Preview of the front and back cover here: http://www.simonwilliamsauthor.com/latest-news.html

All the royalties from the book are going to T.A.C.T - a children’s adoption and fostering charity- so please do spread the word, share this blog and my Facebook updates, not for me (I’m not making anything from this book) but for a far more important cause.