Tui Allen's Blog

Humbling Review of my Work

Recently a UK literary magazine approached me and requested an interview about my work. Below is the link to the resulting review/interview.
I was quite gobsmacked by the eloquence of their review and their appreciation of my work.
But my followers on GR might be more interested in the interview included there.
Both the review and interview are here:
https://readershouse.co.uk/tui-allen-...

Film Agent working hard for Ripple

The agent in the UK is sending me regular updates of his efforts to have Ripple made into a movie and seems to be working hard on Ripple 's behalf.
I'm feeling a little ashamed of my early suspicions that it might be a hoax. But I'll forgive myself as I suppose it's better to be over-cautious. He took my hesitancy well.

movie possibility

Movie?
I was sleeping in a little but was awoken by a phone call. It was someone calling from the other side of the world - the UK! He asked if I had received his email. Turned out later his email was in my junk folder.
He was requesting the chance to act as my agent to attempt to have my first novel Ripple made into an animated feature film. He even wanted to pay me for the chance.
I was thrilled at first. Then became very suspicious. I thought it was probably a scam. I spoke to a friend who is an experienced lawyer in the publishing industry. We checked out everything we could and decided it was not a scam. So I signed up to allow one year for this person to have a go with Ripple .
One thing that made me suspicious was that he was paying me. In the literary world the author pays the agent, so I though it was weird but films are different it seems.
I did sign a 2 year film option for Ripple a few years ago, but that was in the days when animation was prohibitively expensive and there just is not that much available money floating around here in New Zealand. It's a little different this time. AI is making it a lot more affordable I believe and this agent is working in the UK. So I'm a tad more hopeful now.
So I'll stick to my tried and true philosophy of keeping my fingers crossed but not holding my breath. However there can be no harm in dreaming about what to wear to the premiere, since past experience has shown me that dreams are likely to be the only fun I get out of this. :)
Hoping all my readers keep their fingers crossed with me.
My vegan friends can rest assured I would never sign any film option for Ripple unless it was for animation only. There is no way I'd allow anyone to exploit live dolphins for this purpose. I'd rather die in poverty.

Big Thank-You

The give-away is now closed. I was amazed and thrilled to see that 1262 readers entered the giveaway. Thank-you to all of you including those who did not win. I appreciate you just as much.
My hope, for those who won, is firstly that they enjoy the story but also that Dolphin Melody transports them to Ocean Mind and the cultures of the sea, where they can live for a while among the dolphins and discover the oceans from their point of view. It's easy for me, living as I do so close to the sea but the oceans matter to the whole planet and we all need to understand them better, even if we live far inland.
This story is my attempt to bring the oceans alive for everyone, in the hope we will all be more likely to want to protect them.
For this reason I'll be grateful for any readers who won copies and enjoyed the story, to recommend Melody to others in any way they can. I live and write for one purpose - to protect my friends in the sea and I hope you are moved enough by the story to want to help me in this by spreading the word about Melody.
You might also wish to read my previous book "Ripple" which has similar objectives.

Wonderful early responses to Melody story

I've had some early reviews and ratings come in for my new book Dolphin Melody - all five star and highly positive. I'm delighted at these first responses. One on Amazon Australia, one on Amazon in Germany and one here on Goodreads.
Also some facebook comments have arrived from people saying they are loving the story. This is such a relief. The interval between publication and early responses is a very nerve-wracking time. You can't help wondering how people will respond and its thrilling to get good news.

Dolphin Melody Published!

I have finally just published Melody, my second novel.

In the vast depths of the oceans, Hinemoana, Māori Goddess of the sea, watches over all marine life, narrating the poignant tale of Melody, a dolphin born in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. Melody's life, marked by tragedy and music, turns dark after the loss of her mother and her baby to human hands.
Haunted by a freezing spectre of hatred, she struggles to find peace and a voice to communicate with mankind.
Onshore, the artist Manaia faces her own battles, mirroring Melody’s pain and loss. As Melody seeks solace through astral journeys and divine promises, her path intertwines with Manaia’s, leading to an extraordinary alliance with Manaia’s husband, Rōreka.
Through acts of sacrifice, love, and interspecies communication, Melody finds hope and healing. A journey of sorrow, redemption, and the powerful bond between humans and dolphins unfolds, revealing the potential for unity and understanding between worlds.

The Haunted Dolphin closing in on publication

Those of you who enjoyed my first novel Ripple, may be interested to know that my second, The Haunted Dolphin of Ipipiri is closing in on publication. I have finished writing the third draft and am now almost finished editing it. The first half of the manuscript has been sent away for a professional edit and once my own edit of the second half is done, it will be sent away too.
It's been a long and much-interrupted journey, But I'm starting to feel the time's coming when the story will fly out into the big wide world.
The story tells how love inspired one haunted dolphin to overcome the handicap of hatred in her quest to communicate with humankind.

Film Option Signed for Ripple

On Christmas day I signed a film option for my dolphin story Ripple. It allows the film-maker two years to find the money and get the project under way.
A big step in an interesting direction for Ripple.

Ripple Free for Five Days

The Ripple e-book is now FREE for five days from Wednesday 25 March 2020 (PDT).
Pick up a copy while you can so you have something to read during Covid-19 isolation.
The e-book is available in all the different Amazon stores around the world. You can find it by searching "Ripple Tui Allen" Feel free to share far and wide.
Ripple is the story of how love inspired one dolphin to an intellectual achievement that changed the universe.
As far as I have been able to discover, it is the best-reviewed NZ novel on Amazon. It is an enviro-themed story in the Visionary and Metaphysical genre and has topped several Goodreads lystopia lists.

Tui's RIPPLE Blog

Hi Everyone. This is my first ever blog. I've made a zillion web sites but no blogs. I guess this is where you can talk to me about Ripple (or anything else you want to talk to me about) Feel free to charge in with any questions. I say to kids in schools, you can ask any question you like but I don't necessarily promise to answer them. That's because their first question is often , "How old are you?"
Well dang it the answer's 59. Might as well get that out of the way.