Thursday 29 June 2023

Not One but Two


Here are two stories by MJ Gibbs which are brimming with mystery, friendship, and joy. Imagine, twice the love and twice the fun!

Author M J Gibbs, (Marg Gibbs) has released 2 engaging illustrated junior fiction books with boys as the main characters. Both are realistic adventures with heartfelt themes.

The Waiting Room of Weathervane Vet is set on Uncle Jack’s Pigeon Farm and the strange happenings in a vet’s waiting room with an array of animals. The main character is Lenny Watts, ten years old, who is orphaned and finds his way through life with the healing power of animals. These animals also have some super qualities that help the community. Jesse Wins Through uses the home and school setting for Jesse Whitford with a cute Jack Russell to train.

Lenny loves his rescue animals; Jesse loves his new furry friend, Pixie. Both need to deal with a bully and grow in self-confidence. Both have something that disappears!

These two new books are ideal for children ages 7+ years. And best to read independently if you adore animals. Marg says, “It’s fun writing scenes about animals, a fun colour run, and potion making.” In Jesse Wins Through, she has Jesse learning to box, play baseball and discover the qualities of military dogs. This requires some research into boxing terms. “I think sport helps children to be team players and develop confidence in the long run.”


Writing two books at the same time was exciting for me. Jesse’s story progressed over a few years, then stopped. I put it away and started The Waiting Room of Weathervane Vet. Halfway through the latter one, I returned to Jesse and found myself able to switch between the two narratives. Both were professionally edited; during this time, I sought illustrators online. By the time they were published and printed, there was only two weeks overlap.

Sometimes two can make good friends, and what better way to share adventures?

Author, illustrator Elizabeth Gilmore, sums up The Waiting Room, “Lenny attracts an array of animals. Much to his uncle’s dissatisfaction, some animals require visits to the vet, where numerous events happen. Daily life on a farm can be quite mundane but not when animals are around you. Lenny is a really lovely boy, and you care about what happens and want to see him succeed.” 

Author M J Gibbs (Marg) lives in Mapleton, surrounded by abundant wildlife and an amazing collection of children’s books. A retired secondary teacher, she loves to connect the story with its listener. Her poetry books for kids have been featured on the ABC Sunny Coast radio, at Romancing the Stars at Immanuel Lutheran College, Buderim, and the Beerwah storytelling festival. Marg is working on her first middle-grade book with a girl protagonist. You can find or purchase on www.mjgibbs.com.au

These books sell on Kindle Amazon.

Contact the author – m.j.gibbs@bigpond.com.

 

 

 

No comments:

Post a Comment

Buzz Words Books would love to hear what you think.