News

Introducing The Little Shop of Magic

17 February, 2025 by Alex Leave a Comment

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.

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

13 September, 2023 by Alex

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…”

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

28 April, 2023 by Alex

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 Book 3: Beach Otters is out now!

13 October, 2022 by Alex

It’s publication day for Beach Otters, book three in my Big Sky Mountain book Series. This one is all about the sea, which is another particular love of mine.

When Rosa spots a flare fire up over the horizon, Nan decides that someone must be in trouble over in Toe-Dipper Bay. They pack for an adventure and set off immediately.

Although this story covers plastic pollution – one of the most important issues facing our planet and the oceans – this story is particularly silly and contains some of my favourite creatures, such as Sea Otters, Puffins, and even Hermit Crabs.

There’s also a very large whale that does a very large poo. Do you know how important whale poo is to the marine environment?

VERY!

And one of the scenes featuring Hermit Crabs was especially inspired by a wonderful section from a David Attenborough documentary.

Beach Otters is one of my favourite books that I’ve written. If you’re a fan of Hotel Flamingo or Pigsticks and Harold, hopefully you’ll like it too!

Big Sky Mountain: The Forest Wolves

8 April, 2022 by Alex

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!

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.

Draw a Big Sky Mountain beaver with Alex Milway

30 July, 2021 by Alex

Summer holidays are in full flow and I know it’s not always easy to think of things to do. Art and especially drawing is something we revert to on a very regular basis. My kids love it and so do I.

Everyone can draw – I really believe this – it’s just that it needs a bit of regular practice. Whereas we all write day-in day-out, so many people put down their pencils at the age of 14 and never go back. But it’s certainly true that sometimes you need a bit of confidence and support, and that’s something I find a lot at schools when I teach children to draw my characters.

It can be really hard coming up with something new on the spot – who doesn’t fear a blank page? – so I often take children through my character designs step-by-step to give them a character to work with. It’s just like learning a new word or a sentence: you can use it over and again, and build on it.

That’s where this free download comes in handy…

This one here 🙂

It’s a step-by-step guide to drawing and it’s so easy to follow. Pretty much all of my characters start out as a circle, and Iris and Elsie from Big Sky Mountain are no different. You can then colour and design it in your own unique way.

Once you’ve designed your beaver – or perhaps your own family of beavers – I’d love to see what you’ve achieved. If you want to tag me on Instagram or share on my Facebook page, that would be brilliant.

Why beavers?

The Big Sky Mountain series feature many ‘Keystone Species’ animals. These are species that make a huge and important impact on our planet and its ecosystems, fundamentally shaping our world. You’ll be seeing some of our other wonderful keystone species in upcoming Big Sky Mountain books.

Elsie and Iris, the parachuting beavers in Book One were inspired by two true stories. Conservationists really did drop Beavers from an aeroplane in a bid to move them to a new home (they survived the drop, you’ll be glad to hear). And beavers are often re-homed in same-sex groups to avoid overpopulation. The fact that it’s impossible to tell males and females apart from their appearance makes that harder than you might imagine!

Covid has arrived at Hotel Flamingo HQ

As you may have seen over on Instagram, we are currently isolating because a family member tested positive for Covid. Not fun, but we’re getting by. In trying to think of things to occupy ourselves, my creative inspiration has mostly revolved around baking cakes and cooking food…you get the picture. And I have to say I am particularly proud of my spectacular Guinness cake!

We also unearthed some pretty amazing tiles under the carpet in one of our rooms. It was like finding buried treasure! Now I have a tiny inkling of how amazing it would be to uncover a Roman mosaic… I may have got my hopes a little too high for what we might dig up in the garden (so far we’ve only found old iron and drink bottles from the 80s).

The good news is, I’ve also found time to start the next Big Sky Mountain book. Stay tuned for more news, including sneaky peeks at the artwork and other exciting snippets!

Until next time, take care of yourselves. And remember, download your free Iris and Elsie drawing guide here.

Big Sky Mountain Music

9 July, 2021 by Alex

In the rush before the launch of Big Sky Mountain, I somehow managed to get eight songs written, finished and up online at Bandcamp. I can’t quite believe it now!

https://alexmilway.bandcamp.com/releases

Albert the Moose is proving a very popular hit in the classrooms and workshops I’ve been running (via Zoom) in the past few months. Here’s a taste of what you can expect to see if your school runs a Big Sky Mountain event!

As you can see my antlers are a little bit too big for effective Zoom calls…

If you’ve already bought Big Sky Mountain, thank you so much! Your support is amazing. It’s not easy launching a new series in the middle of a pandemic. Usually, I’d be doing school and bookshop tours and events, running lots of workshops and doing signings.

I have done a few shop windows, however, and I ventured back into London to run a session at the Barnes Children’s Literature Festival.

Here’s my window for Pickled Pepper Books in Crouch End, London. (By the way, the parachuting beavers were inspired by a REAL THING).

This series means the world to me. I already mentioned that I based the relationship between the two main characters on my relationship with my grandma. Rosa, a young girl, goes to stay with her grandma, in a cabin out in the wilderness. She learns to survive in the great outdoors, but she also learns about the natural world, ecosystems, and why all creatures are important.

In many ways, it has the same spirit as HOTEL FLAMINGO, and looks the same as well (since I did all the illustrations again), so if you liked that series hopefully this won’t disappoint.

And if you did read and enjoy BIG SKY MOUNTAIN, please consider leaving me a review on Amazon (even if you didn’t buy it there). It makes an enormous difference to people finding the book.

Book of the month!

Thank you LoveReading for making BIG SKY MOUNTAIN book of the month!

You can read their lovely review here.

Big Sky Mountain launches

10 June, 2021 by Alex

It’s Big Sky Mountain day! (Also known as Dress Like A Moose Day! – in my house, anyway) Out now in all the wonderful independent bookshops and online stores of the world!

Big Sky Mountain is the first book in my new series and I feel a celebration is in order. Obviously, launching a book is a reason to celebrate in itself, but so much has happened over the past eighteen months that I’ve been working on it, it feels like a particularly big achievement.

The world has definitely changed, and my world equally so. I certainly didn’t see a move to the seaside, or a global pandemic coming, and nothing changes how much work goes into making a book. When you have two children to homeschool for most of a year, you realise just what a task it is (especially when you decide to move home in the middle of it all.)

I know many other authors and illustrators have dealt with similar issues, and to that I absolutely salute them. I also hope that one day soon I’ll share a beer with them. (Goodness, those days can’t be too far away?)

It’s been quite an emotional thing making Big Sky Mountain. This new series came out of a desire to write about the wilderness, and the natural world, but it was about my relationship with my gran. I dedicated it to her for good reason.

While she had many years bed-bound towards the end of her life, in her younger days, gran was always so full of energy. She’d easily outlast me on those long walks across the Malvern Hills, and still come home ready to cook tea and knit into the wee hours. She’d always be the first to swim in the sea on holidays, putting me absolutely to shame, and there was a real sense of fearlessness about her.

Gran could be difficult and definitely rubbed people up the wrong way at times (including me,) but that was all part of what made her into the force she was – and she was definitely a force of nature.

There are many stories about her, but one I remember particularly well was when a car crashed on the busy road outside her flat late one night. She rushed outside with her St John’s Ambulance training and jumped right into the thick of it all.

As a young lad, you don’t realise what it takes to do that. Now I do.

As for the story, what started out as a tale about a pair of eager beavers settling nearby, became a book about becoming part of a new community, possibly even a family, and learning to fit in and survive.

It’s a story about doing good in the world, learning to look after yourself and finding your own place to fit in, and I’m really excited about that.

In many ways it feels much like Hotel Flamingo. There are jokes, animals – lots of new characters – and there’s even a little sadness, but I think it’s a little bit more personal, and there’s a lot of me in it. I hope you like it; it was a real joy to make

(By the way, if you want to watch the vide of me singing a song as Albert the Moose, you can find it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CP7ovT7qWUV/)

Competition – Enter here!

If you haven’t entered the competition to win one of four signed copies of Big Sky Mountain along with an original illustration, you can enter now! The more people you share it with, the more chances of winning you have!