Excited to have the design of the front cover of my novel, soon to be published by Fantastic Books Publishing. After a bit of negotiation I am very happy with this representation of two people on a Harley riding a Scottish coastal road, with a couple of whales leaping out to great them, with a bit of the quote from Lesley Glaister, with more of that to come on the back cover.
The whales represent a scene in the novel, where my characters Gethin and Jez get roped into helping with the rescue of a pod of pilot whales, trapped in the Kyle of Durness. This was based on a true story told to us by a friend where local people were involved in rescuing pilot whales in Durness in 2011. As soon as I heard this story, I knew it had to be part of Jez and Gethin’s adventures in NW Scotland. Although it was a great adventure, with 40 or so whales successfully guided out into the open sea, many of the whales tragically perished, and I used this as a trigger for adoptee Jez to release her supressed emotions about her birth parents. I read an extract of this at the Sheffield Writers Workshop Sounds About Write Open mic last week.
I was saddened to read last week of the worst mass stranding of pilot whales in Britain on the Isle of Lewis, when 50 whales died and only one saved. This article in the Scottish Herald talks of the emotional impact on people involved in trying to rescue the whales, reminding some of Durness in 2011.
Pilot whales are known for their strong social bonds, and it is thought that if one whale gets into difficulty and strands, the rest of the pod will follow. While there is a theory that the Durness stranding was caused by the whales reacting to military testing of 1000 lb bombs from nearby Cape Wrath, it is thought that the Lewis stranding was a reaction of the pod to distress calls from a female giving birth. The geography of the indented Scottish coastline, close to deep water but with shallow bays, makes it particularly susceptible to such strandings.
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Penny Frances 
Wow Penny It looks amazing. Lots of movement in the picture. I’m looking forward to reading it. Quite a lot going on with leaving work and your book. Enjoy your freedom from work. It’s still a journey for me. I’m still trying to work out what i am doing. Love Jet
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Thanks Jet and good luck with your continued retirement too xx