Ah yes. The Blog Gap. Sorry – last autumn didn’t go quite how I had anticipated! Some family stuff has been going on and so I have had less time at my desk and have barely written anything since the summer – boo! Hopefully things will improve soon, and I AM working on a little book for an educational publisher which is fun and not too time-consuming. In the meantime, I am doing Family Support Stuff and planning new ideas in my head!
However, in the meantime all the work I did last year is starting to appear in book form! Say hello to the THIRD book in the Starlight Stables Gang series: Ellie and the Pony Camp Mystery! I’m so proud of this book; a lot of research and careful thought went into it. This time, our main character is Ellie, the member of the Gang who uses a wheelchair because she has a complete spinal cord injury at vertebra T9. Ellie is very much not the kind of person to let others push her around, figuratively or literally! She has big dreams and ambitions and also an obsession with solving mysteries – which comes in handy when some odd things start happening at Pony Camp!
As ever, I’ve been working with the delightful and knowledgeable Esme Higgs, otherwise known as ThisEsme, and I’m so proud of what we’ve created together. We’ve also had help from a range of people with experience of disability, using wheelchairs and para-riding, including the Paralympian Natasha Baker OBE, the Spinal Injuries Association, Joanna Sholem, Grandad Wheels, Lewis Hemingway and Alice Summersbee at Riding for the Disabled. And there are more gorgeous illustrations from Hannah George.
There are four members of the Starlight Stables Gang but only Summer, Jessie and Ellie have had their stories told. Daniel, the only boy of the group, has yet to have his own book. Will Puffin commission a fourth and final? We are keeping our fingers firmly crossed…!
In the meantime, I hope you enjoy Ellie and the Pony Camp Mystery, out 1st Feb 2024 published by Puffin Books and available wherever books are sold (including Tesco this time!)
Jo Cotterill 