Today’s word is shonky for no other reason than I like it. To me, it’s one of those words that expresses its meaning very well. Shonky is an informal Australian/ New Zealand word referring to a person or action that is dishonest, unreliable or illegal. Shonky goings on, for example. The word shonk describes someone who is engaged in dodgy business dealings and its origin is thought to be from English dialect, shonk, ‘smart’ appearing in the 1970s.
I expect we all know someone, or something, shonky.
Yesterday, we went to visit Scone Palace and had just arrived, when so did the rain. A great cry went up from several of the peacocks who call the place home. As I turned, I saw this peacock hop into the tree. I quickly took a photo before we sought our own shelter in the café. Not the greatest photo but it made me smile.
Today, I’m welcoming Esther on her blog tour. Congratulations on her second book in this series. I’ll hand over to Esther to tell you more.
My enormous thanks goes out to Liz for being part of the blog tour for my second children’s book, Myths and Magic. I’m now on stop three.
So, what’s it all about? My main character is Saffy, and she found a magical dragon at the bottom of her garden. The dragon is called Lily and she and her world are in danger. In The Secret Dragon, the first book in the Saffy’s Secret Quest Series, the pair discovered they had a series of clues to uncover and solve in order to restore Lily and her magical world to their magnificent selves.
Book two is due out on the 28th May but the paperback is available now to pre-order. The series is for 5-7 year olds, so it’s ideal for parents to read to children or for those that have just started to read on their own. It’ll make a great gift for any young children you know!
The Blurb:
Saffy has solved the first clue in her quest to save the magical world of Mandoreum from danger. Now it’s time to find the second.
She isn’t alone. Her new friend, Lily, a dragon from Mandoreum, wants to help. Together they take a trip and uncover special stories and unexpected surprises.
But Saffy soon learns that first appearances are not always what they seem. And plotting in the background is a witch who will do everything she can to stop them…
Extract:
Knights with silver swords towered above her, while kings and queens stood royally. Fairies fluttered from one corner of the room to another and cute creatures scampered amongst thick green grass. She was sure Lily would be sneaking a look, taking it all in.
A roar echoed through the room.
Saffy shuddered, afraid. Could it be one of Narla’s workers? Lily had explained that Narla had workers who would try and stop them – and those workers could be in any form. Saffy had already fought off witches’ hats when they discovered the first clue. Was this the next one?
“Aaah,” Lily yelped. “An ogre!”
Saffy caught sight of a huge, menacing ogre looming over them.
Author bio:
Esther has been a freelance writer for over twenty-five years, regularly writing articles and short stories for magazines and newspapers.
Winner of several competitions, including those run by Writing Magazine and The Global Short Story Contest, she has also had the privilege of judging writing competitions and relished being given the role of head judge of the Writers’ Forum monthly short story competition.
Esther loves writing but equally enjoys helping others, which she achieves in her role as a tutor for The Writers Bureau.Always on the lookout for a new challenge, she is taking the distance learning college over at the end of July.
She has had two how-to books on writing published, with a third due out later this year, as well as two collections of short stories. Her second children’s book is coming out in May, where she writes under the name of Esther Moonstomp.
In January, I set myself the task of summing up my week every Sunday in 25 words or less. I’d love to hear your sum ups too. Here’s mine for this week.
The sun arrives and fades, returns
Winks, splutters, twists and turns
As I volunteer, write
Gaze in wonder at the Iron Giant.
Bennerley Viaduct, where Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire meet …
mywordshare 