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Children's author, illustrator, screenwriter

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Hotel Flamingo Frosty Fiesta is coming!

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I’m excited to reveal the cover for HOTEL FLAMINGO 5!

I’ve wanted to write a new Hotel Flamingo title for ages. It continues to sell well (I learned last week that the series has sold over 440,000 copies in the UK including audio and digital, which is mind-bogglingly brilliant,) and find new readers six years on, so I think my publisher finally felt it was a good time to go back on holiday to Animal Boulevard!

Needless to say, writing about all the animals at the hotel was like hanging out with all my old friends. It was joyful. I’d write another four in a heartbeat.

Frosty Fiesta!

This new story is all about Mrs Turpington (remember the tortoise from book one?) holding a little party before going into hibernation. FUN FACT: this was the book I was supposed to write for the fourth in the series but schedules drifted and, suddenly, a winter book publishing in Spring didn’t feel like a great idea.

I love snow and I love snow sports, so there’s a whole snowboarding and skiing competition taking place at the hotel, and there’s a very fun, very chilled out pair of board bunnies taking part – one of them is there on the cover!

It’s already up for pre-order on Amazon and at Waterstones, and as soon as I find a local bookshop to help out I can maybe organise sales of signed copies through them!

I can’t wait!

Introducing The Little Shop of Magic

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I love fantasy worlds and I wanted to write a story set in a magical forest, filled with all the wonderful creatures you might meet. I also love customer service! Back when I was a struggling artist I worked in a WHSmith store in Nottingham, sometimes on music and computer games, sometimes on children’s books, sometimes simply catching thieves. 

I had a lot of fun helping and serving people, so it was obvious at some point I should write a book about being a shopkeeper. I just needed the fantasy angle to make it interesting. And so…

THE LITTLE SHOP OF MAGIC was born!

From the bestselling author and illustrator of Hotel Flamingo comes a charming and hilarious new illustrated book all about what it takes to run a shop for magical folk.

THE LITTLE SHOP OF MAGIC

When Vicky Lightfoot goes to work at her Auntie Wyla’s magical supplies shop in Twilight Forest, she must learn what it takes to make spells, source rare and magical ingredients and, most importantly, serve customers!

From frog people to trolls, badger wizards to little wise dragons, Vicky will meet and serve all sorts of hilarious, incredible creatures. But when a spell goes wrong, and she is left to work the shop alone on her very first day, Vicky will need all her wits about her to get through in one piece!

Listen to Alex Milway read the first chapter here, with all the pages illustrations from the book so you can follow along.

This is a truly exciting project for me. Not only will the book be something I’ve made all on my own, from concept to layout, but my readers can also choose to see their names in the Acknowledgements section of the book (check out the rewards on the sidebar!) And on top of all this, there’s also a very special bundle that includes an Hotel Flamingo print – something I’ve never done before.

All the artwork is now complete – I really loved drawing it! – and I’m just doing the finishing touches and final checks on the design and text. Once that’s all done, The Little Shop of Magic will be off to print 🙂

The Little Shop of Magic is available exclusively via Kickstarter currently. If you would like to get more information about how you can get a copy of the book in future (and for information on the next exciting Kickstarter project, you can follow me there or subscribe to my newsletter.

Update: The Little Shop of Magic, funded via my lovely readers on Kickstarter, is now available to buy direct from my shop.

Buy now

Big Sky Mountain Book 4: The Sky Eagles, out now!

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The final book in the Big Sky Mountain series – The Sky Eagles – is out now!

I’m so excited to share it with the world. This one is all about growing up and having to make your own decisions and, of course, eagles.

Here’s an extract from the blurb: “When Rosa wakes one morning to find Grandma Nan missing, she must use all of her survival skills to uncover her grandma’s whereabouts…”

Alex Milway Sky Eagles Cover

Writing it with long covid was a challenge, but I’m feeling much better of late, and I’m taking things as easy as I can with a house full of building work going on. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing and illustrating it. This series is very close to my heart, and I think the subject matter is an important one (whilst still having plenty of silliness).

I always enjoy working on the back cover of my books, mainly because you can be a lot freer with what you illustrate! The thing I most love about Grandma Nan is that she is based on my gran, but ultimately looks a lot like my mum, so it’s always nice to have her on there!

You can buy The Sky Eagles now from all good bookshops!

There are also a few signed and doodled copies available from my shop.

PS. I would really appreciate your Amazon reviews – they make a huge difference to author sales and help to get the book to a new audience.

The Mousehunter Book One – Updated edition Out Now

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The Mousehunter was first published back in 2008. It was my debut book, and I am still incredibly proud of it, so I’m really thrilled to have had the chance to go back and refresh it, tweaking some bits I was never satisfied with (using my author copy that I’d edited by hand any time I read aloud at school visits), and creating a brand new cover.

You can get the digital edition now on Kindle (and Kindle Unlimited).

Would you like a print copy?

Currently, we don’t have a print edition of the updated book, but please do let me know if you’re interested in one. If I have enough interest, I will definitely look into getting one made. I’d really like to do a special edition, perhaps as a Kickstarter, but while I’m still struggling with Chronic Fatigue/Long Covid, I’m trying not to get too many plans on the go! Just hit reply to this email.

Books two and three will be following along! Stay tuned…

THE MOUSEHUNTER (Book one)

Embark on the most dangerous, thrilling, and swashbuckling adventure of a lifetime in this fun, fast-paced tale – perfect for fans of Frostheart, Nevermoor, and How To Train Your Dragon!

Join Emiline, the intrepid mousekeeper, as she sails the high seas in pursuit of the notorious pirate, Captain Mousebeard.

One dark and stormy night, a pirate washes ashore carrying a mysterious box around his neck. The box bears a chilling warning for Isiah Lovelock, the town’s leading mouse collector. And who is this warning from? Only the Seventeen Seas’ most feared pirate – Mousebeard.

Soon Emiline, Lovelock’s mousekeeper, finds herself aboard Captain Drewshank’s ship in pursuit of the enigmatic pirate Captain. But who is Mousebeard, really? And what hidden motives are driving Lovelock’s fury? Emiline must uncover the truth in a treacherous world filled with spies, ship battles, and sea monsters, where the Nosferatu Mouse flits through the night, the Howling Moon Mouse haunts exotic islands, and the Cadaver Mouse seeks out dying sailors…

“Highly recommended for kids and grownups alike” – Wired”

Get your copy here.

Big Sky Mountain Forest Wolves Longlisted for the Alligator’s Mouth Award 2023 (and Book 4 Update)

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I’m so excited to see my Big Sky Mountain Forest Wolves among the longlist for the Alligator’s Mouth Award 2023. So many terrific authors are with me on the longlist, so it really brightened up a dismal, murky old day when I heard the news! You can check out the full longlist here.

New Big Sky Mountain Book!

In other news, I’ve now completed the fourth and final book in the Big Sky Mountain series. Big Sky Mountain: The Sky Eagles will be out 20 July 2023. You can pre-order your copy here.

It’s always wonderful to reach the end of a book. It still feels like an achievement, just like every book has since I started.

This one feels especially good, what with fitting it around endless fatigue from my ME/Long Covid, doing a few illos a day, and generally limiting work time to what isn’t going to wipe me out. (I’m good at the long game, thankfully.)

Since finishing, I’ve tried to take some time off to try to get a bit better. I’m rubbish at resting, and the desire to do everything is strong, but the body is no longer willing. So rest I must.

The past month has seen me working on my mental health and brain rewiring to find a better way to overcome chronic fatigue, and the signs are really good. Using breathwork, cold showers, meditation and simple NLP techniques, I’ve really focused so hard on being positive, not fearing crashing again, and celebrating every little step forward.

Unlike previous times when I’ve started feeling semi-human over the past 15 months, this time my body seems to be in a better place to deal with everything and not have a negative response. And if I do have another crash, I feel better able to recover and take it with a positive spirit.

x

Alex

Big Sky Mountain: The Forest Wolves

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Yesterday was International Beaver Day, which felt like the right time to get in touch to let you know Big Sky Mountain: The Forest Wolves is out now!

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Big Sky Mountain: The Forest Wolves is available in all book stores!

After a storm, Rosa and Grandma Nan find a lost wolf cub and embark on a journey to return the cub to its pack. It’s a story about finding your family, whoever, wherever, and whatever they may be!

As with the first book, The Forest Wolves is inspired by my love of nature and adventure. If you’re interested in rewilding, you’ll enjoy the scene where a herd of hipster bison come crashing through the trees.

I had a lot of fun drawing them! In Britain we used to have lots of creatures like bison on our shores, but now we have very few. Red deer, and a few escaped wild boar continue to do a similar job in the wild, and they’re so important for our ecosystems.

Large mammals (the megafauna of old) fulfil many roles: they break up the soil which helps the seedbank regenerate, clear trees to let sunlight down onto the forest floor, and generally make the landscape better for birds, insects and smaller mammals. Without these creatures, us humans have to do their jobs, which costs lots of money, and takes lots of time…

Maybe one day we’ll see more large creatures back in our landscape. I can only hope! 

Book Three

Right now, I’m currently doing the artwork for the third book. I’ve really enjoyed being back in Rosa’s world. You can take a look at some of the works in progress over on my Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/alexmilway/

I’m struggling with long Covid still, which has made it slower going than usual, but I’m so fortunate to be able to take it easier and make time for a daily nap. My thoughts are very much with the people who cannot. 

I’ll be in touch again soon (hopefully) to send you the cover reveal for Book Three. Watch this space! Sending best wishes to you and your loved ones from us all here in St Leonards.

PS. Remember you can download the ‘How To Draw A Beaver’ guide on my website for free.

Big Sky Mountain Audiobook

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Imagine landing on a mountain, with no shops, no internet, and no TV, just a host of curious animals, a grandma and one big adventure! That’s Big Sky Mountain.

I often dream about wandering the hills of my childhood (around Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire) and you can definitely see a theme emerging as Rosa explores the new world around her.

If you’d like to join Rosa and Nan up on the mountain, you can now get the audiobook as well!

Here’s a little sample narrated by Penelope Rawlins

You can get it on Audible here.

(And here’s a link to National Geographic Kids which featured Big Sky Mountain recently)

Big Sky Mountain

Big Sky Mountain Book 2: The Forest Wolves

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It’s the Big Sky Mountain book 2 cover! The Forest Wolves is all about wolves, of course, but it also features bison and woodlands. All things I feel very strongly about!

It’s a story about belonging, being scared of what you don’t know, and – most importantly – what makes a family.

Join Rosa, Grandma Nan and all their friends over on Big Sky Mountain again.

Out in February 2022!

Big Sky Mountain book 1 is out now.