Several people have commented that there is a lot of me in the book. And I guess that is true - although isn't that always the case? How could any author write a book without them being present in every word and line. These words come from us, as authors.
So I hold my hands up - there many facets of me sprinkled throughout the story and its characters. Many of the scenes have been plucked from my life - although I will say from the outset - I never lost the Mayoral Chain when I was Mayor. But I worried about doing so!
So, the next few blogposts here will focus on some of these stories and facets, to add some extra colour to the book - and also (maybe) give a trailer or two to an updated version of the book - which is in process! And I will begin this with a poem I wrote a few months ago about faries (sort of!). Fairies, of course, feature in The Mayor's Bear - in more than one place... (Did you spot all the places?) And they are going to feature in one of the short stories which will be incorporated into the new version of the book...
Anyway... here is the poem:
Fairies: a conversation
Fred's with the fairies now.
Not the birdies then?
No.
The fairies.
He told me.
He told you?
Yes.
He knows he's not making much sense to others these days.
But he's making sense to him
And the fairies.
The fairies.
What do they say?
I asked him that
They told him not to worry
Yesterday's memories don't matter
It's the golden ones that do
Sort of makes sense.
What else?
Be here now.
Look past the rain to the rain drops.
See how each flower is different.
Touch the two oaks that have grown into each other.
Worry less.
The fairies say all this?
Yes.
Anything more?
No.
Fred went to sleep then.
Ah.
They sound like lovely, wise fairies.
Yes.
I might join them one day.
Yes.
We might.
---
Catton Park
25 May 2025
