Hi everyone,
I hope this finds you well, with plenty of books and snacks (I must buy some mince pies!), and ready to kick back and enjoy festivities and/or a well-deserved break over the coming weeks.
I’ll keep it brief(ish) with a few key messages.
2024 – The launch of Fyn Carter!
Regardless of some life events which have happened throughout the year, 2024 will always be the year that I launched Fyn Carter into the world on 9th May with my debut middle-grade novel, ‘Fyn Carter and the Agents of Eromlos’. You’ll know from previous blogs (or can find them here on my website if you fancy it) how I’ve approached the journey so far. What I really want to put across now is a BIG thank you to everyone who has supported me and my journey along the way, taking a chance on Fyn Carter as well. I already knew the writing community is a great one, but I hadn’t understood how huge and supportive the bookish/reading community is too. For any of you reading this – you rock!
Fyn Carter is available in more places 🙂
In recent weeks, Aldermoor Community Farm and Boulder Shack Climbing Gym have joined October Books in Southampton, in that they have taken on copies of Fyn Carter. I am super grateful. All three places are big believers in community which makes it even nicer! A big thank you to them for taking a chance on me with valuable shelf space! Please do check them out if you’re in the area.
Book Trailer!
Thanks to Irontree Media for producing this fun Fyn Carter trailer! It makes me smile and was really eye-catching on the big screen recently at Oxford Indie Book Fair! If you’ve not seen it yet, here it is:
Update on ‘Fyn Carter and the Legends from Atlantis’!
Scarily, book two is now off with my editor and will likely be back with me in the next week or so. I plan to wait until after Boxing Day to look at it (if I can resist) as I have a lot of other things to catch up on. I’ve also been using the time to design the cover. The front is nearly done, and I have a few ideas for the back. Before I can reveal it, I’ll need to do a print test to ensure it works as intended. It’s all a step in the right direction, and I’m aiming for a January cover reveal!
Other things:
- Southampton Libraries have kindly agreed to take on six copies of ‘Fyn Carter and the Agents of Eromlos’. They need to be processed onto their system but will hopefully be available to so many more readers in the coming weeks (*Ian does a happy dance*). I grew up with regular visits to my local library and believe libraries are wonderful things we should treasure
- I have a lot of events booked in for 2025. I plan on updating my events page in the time between Christmas and New Year
- I’m getting closer to the idea of doing school visits. I want to make sure I do them well, so I am spending time thinking about content and the audience etc. More info to come in 2025
Please do keep my book in mind if you have any pressies you still want to buy over the next week and a bit. Although it’s aimed at children aged 9-12, really, it’s 9-12 and above (which includes young-hearted adults). Either way, I am excited to know there are already people out there with a wrapped copy under their tree! That’s a real wow that I’d not considered could ever be a reality when I started this journey.
Thank you (as always) for your support. It means a lot that you have subscribed to my blog, and that I’m not just writing into a void. However you spend the next few weeks, I hope you find time for smiles and goodness. It’s important to have a break. Remember to look after yourself too.
Please let me know if there’s anything in particular you’d like me to cover in the blog in 2025. It’s useful for me to journal this way, but I want it to be useful for you too!
Until then!
Ian x
Ian Hunter Creates 