Tales of The Hiole

What it’s about

The dreams of children are the most magical places, where anything is possible and there are no limits. The Hiole is where those dreams live. Its guardian is The Frox, half frog and half fox, and his job is looking after the place and everyone in it.

Then The Hiole gets its first ever guest, Lord Regibald, and The Frox has to convince him to travel back. If he doesn’t, the children who dreamed him up will be stuck in their unfinished dreams every night.

How it started

It began as a bedtime story I made up on the spot and couldn’t remember the next morning, which was a problem, because my daughter could. The whole story of how it went from that to a book with my name on it is in So I wrote a book….

The opening

I want to begin by telling you a story. It’s a story of a magical, ordinary place. In a land on the other side of the world, just around the corner. A place that is so far away that it takes 6 and a quarter seconds to get there. A place so amazing that nothing ever happens. This place is called “The Hiole”. Some say it’s a hill, some say it’s a hole. They say it’s as tall as the sky, yet as deep as the ocean. You can spend days wandering around it, or step right over it. It’s magical and amazing, yet ordinary and boring.

Book two

Book two has been a “work in progress” since I published book one. It’s an extension of the original, with new creatures, and a mysterious new character who enters the story. It exists mostly in my head, which is the least useful place for it. When it’s on paper, it’ll be here.