The Grumpface by BCR Fegan

This week I have the pleasure of sharing a guest post from BCR Fegan. His debut children's picture book The Grumpface will be available from the 1st May.  I'm already a little in love with The Grumpface and feel sure this super book, and its author will go far.  

It is always daunting to stand on the threshold of a new and risky life decision. As an aspiring writer, the weight of this uncertainty is keenly felt. Will the sacrifices be worth it? Will the book that I have invested so much into, be met with joy or derision? I am quite sure that every negative reaction will sting just a little – at least to begin with. Every positive remark will be treasured – far more than its writer will probably ever know. Yet at the end of the day, the trial of public opinion must be endured by every author – good or bad. What follows could really be considered my grand entrance into this trial. What I offer is a little about my journey. From my love of reading and writing, to the precipice in which I now stand.

Reading – A marvellous adventure

“Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book.”

Author Unknown

For as long as I can remember, I have loved reading. My mother almost certainly played a huge part in this. She would always take time out of her day to read any number of picture books (often reading the same stories over and over again) before I was old enough to attend school. She would even write her own simple books which I would subsequently decorate with clippings from old magazines. A fantastic way to build word-association. As a consequence of this dedication, I eventually started school with highly developed reading skills, and a voracious appetite for books.

Thinking back to Primary School, some of the most anticipated moments all revolved around reading. From the Scholastic Book Club catalogues that we would receive, to the incredibly exciting (albeit rare) moments when I had been allowed to order a book and it had finally arrived! I recall taking part in a program called ‘Book It!’ and reading up to eight novels in a week. I even recall many projects I had completed at school that centred on reading and writing. It was safe to say, that creative writing remained my favourite subject – mathematics, not so much.

Yet for all the enjoyment I derived from reading, I remained very particular about the books I read. My once-a-week excursion to the state library would often see me sift methodically through children’s picture books and middle grade fiction as I began to develop crude methods to critically assess the merit of these small, rectangular objects. Now, for those who immediately picked up on that book reference, you may be interested to know that the assessment I eventually settled on came from the same timeless classic by Michael Ende:

“He didn’t like books in which dull, cranky writers describe humdrum events in the very humdrum lives of humdrum people. Reality gave him enough of that kind of thing, why should he read about it? Besides, he couldn’t stand it when a writer tried to convince him of something. And these humdrum books, it seemed to him, were always trying to do just that. Bastian liked books that were exciting or funny, or that made him dream. Books where made-up characters had marvellous adventures, books that made him imagine all sorts of things. Because one thing he was good at, possibly the only thing, was imagining things so clearly that he almost saw and heard them”.   ~ The Neverending Story

My book repertoire slowly grew. In fact, some of the children’s books I came to love have already been featured on this blog – particularly Enid Blighton’s stories. These included The Famous Five, The Secret Seven and of course The faraway Tree. Fairy tales (Puss in Boots), Golden Books (The Boy with a Drum), Dr Seuss (Hooper Humperdink…? Not Him!), Roger Hargreaves (Mr Men) and Ted Prior (Grug) would also take up prominent places on the bookshelf, supplemented by the steady flow of library hard-covers.

You may be thinking that all this seems reasonably normal for a kid with a healthy appetite for reading. The difference is that I still haven’t grown out of my love for children’s picture books. Sure, I grew into YA fiction (which I also still love) and then fantasy, mysteries, thrillers and even poetry. However chances are, if you came across me in a library or bookstore, I would be sitting on a small child-sized chair, engrossed in a picture book. I enjoy them because they have the power of distilling an entire imaginative journey into such a small space. I enjoy them because they have pictures often drawn by talented artists. I enjoy them because now, finally after all these years, I have the opportunity to contribute to this exciting world. A world that has the potential to influence a child’s appreciation of books in their formative years.

Writing – A discipline limited only imagination

“A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest.”

C.S. Lewis

For almost as long as I have been reading, I have also been writing. I literally have piles of well-worn notebooks in draws, cupboards and other nooks and crannies. However the decision to begin publishing these tales was made only recently, and for two main reasons:

1.  From an early age, I had wanted to publish books and it was only a year ago that I was able to slow my life down enough to begin this process.
2.  I had for some time grown a little discouraged with many children’s picture books that were hitting the shelves. It seemed to me that they had become overly didactic and absent of the butterfly-inducing excitement I felt a good book needed to have.

It was going to be a risk and I was aware that writing books that went against the tide of modern trends wasn’t a particularly good strategy. However, a part of me was sure that I wasn’t alone in my yearning for pure, unadulterated adventure.

My debut children’s picture book, The Grumpface, has been about two years in the making. It is the kind of tale that I would have enjoyed reading in Primary School, and it is my hope that it stirs the imaginations of children and adults alike. With the familiar structure of a fairy tale and the humour children look for in a story, The Grumpface is set in a simple but deeply intriguing world.

The Grumpface

In a land far away, at a time long ago, was the Village of Hay, near the Forest of Ho.
In the midst of the forest, in the darkest place, lived a grumpy old creature they called the Grumpface

And once in a while did a traveller go, on his way to the village through the Forest of Ho
And so easy it was to get lost in that place And get caught in a trap by that grumpy Grumpface.

Our tale begins in a small village that sits beside a dark forest. Dan, the hero of our story is an optimistic, young inventor who suffers the unfortunate trait of being clumsy. Working day and night on his inventions, he hopes that his efforts might gain the attention of Bella, a flower girl whom he secretly admires.

When it comes to his attention that Bella has no more roses to sell, he decides to brave the dark forest in order to find her one. The only problem, is that the forest is inhabited by a grumpy creature known as the Grumpface, and this creature is not known for his kindness to lost travellers.

It doesn’t take long before our poor hero is confronted by the Grumpface who quickly challenges the young inventor to three tasks. If he is able to pass even a single challenge, he will be freed, if not, he will remain forever in the forest.

Ultimately, The Grumpface is a tale in the spirit of any grand adventure. It is about a clumsy young inventor’s quest for love, and the challenges he must face to find it. But it is also a tale of bravery, absurdity and happiness, and the power of these qualities over negativity and sheer grumpiness.

What inspired me to write this tale was my familiarity with young, grumpy children who seem determined to maintain their displeasure with something despite every effort to make them crack a smile. I’m sure every parent is acquainted with their own little ‘grumpface’ now and then. This story stands as a small piece of hope – that no matter how ingrained the grump, there will always remain in every one of us a smile or a laugh just waiting to come out.

The Grumpface will be available in Kindle, ePub, Hardcover and Paperback from most online bookstores from May 1.

Thank you for visiting, you are very welcome to leave a comment, and if you enjoy my blog, please follow with Bloglovin, thank you.