A Magical Mystery Tour - and Paddling!
It was a shame we had to postpone Mum’s plans for an international book tour when we published Henry’s third book of adventures in 2020. Thank you, Covid. Because of the lockdown, a UK tour was also impossible. We couldn’t even schedule a quick drive around the bookshops of Gloucestershire!
As her editor and publisher, I felt compelled to put this right. So, on my first trip across the pond in three years, I organised a demanding itinerary of appearances throughout the east of England and have added tour manager to my list of duties.
Well, that’s what it felt like when Mum and I embarked on our cross-country journey from the tranquillity of the Cotswolds to track down her family and a bunch of old mates in East Anglia a few weeks back.
Regrettably, not all of Mum’s friends and family have joined the digital age, so phone calls were needed to connect with those not on email. And if we didn’t have their number, Mum just marched up to the front door and rang the bell! It shocked me how weird it felt to just “pop in” on people without a prior text or call. Especially as we hadn’t seen a couple of these folks for over 10 years.
Miraculously, no one seemed the slightest bit offended or inconvenienced by the sudden appearance of a world-famous author on their doorstep and we were welcomed warmly with tea and cakes wherever we went.
First Stop - Long Melford
We planned our route to maximise the number of friends and relatives we could visit in one week and started our tour in the elongated Suffolk village of Long Melford. This quintessential English village is dominated by the massive medieval church where Mum was married, and her parents are now buried.
Holy Trinity Church, one of Suffolk’s mighty wool churches, completed in 1484, a time of growing prosperity for the local cloth merchants. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Mum was disappointed by the lack of horticultural skills exhibited by the new residents of Spring Gardens where she grew up, but not altogether surprised that the pump had been removed from the back garden. Apparently, the well water was delicious and perfect for growing extra white celery!
Rekindling childhood memories was fascinating and getting together with so many family members was delightful. Everyone is getting older and less mobile, so there was an unspoken sense of urgency with every cup of tea consumed and piece of family news updated.
We even met the next generation of potential Henry fans – Mum’s great-grandniece Eva. Of course, we made sure she received her copy of Book Three!
North towards Norwich and Swaffham
Heading north into Norfolk, we connected with more friends and assessed the standard of landscaping at four homes Mum had enjoyed during her married life. We were surprised that her formal rose garden had been removed from one home- but conceded that few roses have a lifespan of over 50 years these days! We passed so many barn conversions on our rural route- seems Mum and Dad were real trendsetters with their transformations of agricultural buildings in the ‘70s and ‘80s.
After making sure all Mum’s Norfolk friends had adequate supplies of Henry’s Adventures for their new grandchildren, we zigzagged south-east to Felixstowe, to fulfil one of Mum’s other priorities for this trip- a dip in the chilly waters of the North Sea.
Seaside adventures
Although nowhere in the UK is more than 70 miles from the coast, Mum had not felt the sand beneath her feet or the gentle lapping of water on her toes for some years. So, we ignored the stiff breeze, cast off our shoes and socks, scrambled over the pebbly beach, and gingerly headed into the waves. Yes, it was bracing, so paddling up to our ankles was quite far enough to satisfy Mum’s maritime goals.
Unbridled hilarity as we enjoy “taking the waters” oblivious to the backdrop of the UK’s busiest port.
I’ve since discovered that “paddling” to most Americans connotes an activity with a paddle. Hence, my US friends were shocked that my 88-year-old mother was up for a spot of kayaking. Of course, once I explained and shared a few photos, they realised that in Brit speak “paddling” is just dipping your toes in the water.
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Perhaps a little unorthodox for a “book tour” but a fabulous way to rekindle fond memories as we giggled our way around the English countryside, making plenty of new memories along the way.
Stateside activities continue to expand Henry’s fanbase
Back in the US, I have been busy expanding the community of Henry fans on this side of the Atlantic. My local newspaper was so interested in the “story behind the story” of how a grandma’s efforts to keep in touch with her grandchildren became a delightful series of books - we took over the front page of the Sunday Life section!
The panicked call to restock the shelves of the local toy store on a Sunday morning was a wonderful reinforcement that folks do still read the paper!
And then the Fort Vancouver Visitor Center invited me to share our story in person with their supporters, which resulted in Henry being discovered by a whole new community of nature-loving tourists. Which encouraged our local toy store and children’s bookshop to share Henry’s antics with even more little adventurers.
So what now? We’re running out of books and have embarked on a new quest to conquer “Print on Demand.” Our goal is that once we’ve emptied the last boxes of books in Mum’s garage, Henry will be available “on-demand” from online sellers and local bookshops.
Developing authorial intent?
Mum’s writing skills have inspired me to extend my own writing beyond magazine articles and Christmas correspondence. No books yet, but if you enjoy the conversational tone of these newsletters, you might like my humourous reflections on life currently hosted on Medium.com.
Here’s a link to a good one questioning why I still sound like my mother, despite living outside the UK for over 35 years.
Of course, a fortnight in Blighty has buffed up my Britishness quite nicely!
Order early for Christmas!
With Christmas on the horizon – consider completing your Henry series with books 2 and 3. Perfectly matched with the seasons as Henry discovers Christmas and snow in Book 2, and Book 3 leads nicely into spring- complete with woods carpeted in snowdrops!
I’ve heard rumblings about UK postal strikes, so order your books now to ensure a timely delivery.
Follow the lead of young Henry fan Walter, get your PJ’s on and cosy up with Henry’s Adventures! Actually - his favourite is Bertie the hedgehog!
Remember to shop local! Henry's Adventures are available direct from the author at henryfieldmouse@gmail.com and from these wonderful locations in the Cotwolds and in the USA:
Northleach: The Post Office and Cotswolds Pharmacy
Periwinkles Toy Shoppe Camas, WA
Bookish, Camas, WA
Fort Vancouver Gift Shop, Vancouver, WA
Sweet Peas Tea Room, Battle Ground, WA
AND Henry is now available on Etsy
Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season curled up with a good book!
Cheers!
Sue and Jo
xxx