The Tail of the Tiger, the Birds, and the Book - Lin Treadgold - Author guest post

I am pleased to welcome author Lin Treadgold to my blog today as part of her blog tour for Goodbye, Henrietta Street!

The Tail of the Tiger, the Birds, and the Book.  

A guest blog from author Lin Treadgold

I first visited the Isles of Scilly in 1969 and have visited a dozen or more times since then. I became involved with nature conservation in the early 1980’s. Like Pippa in my book Goodbye, Henrietta Street, I wanted to learn about the birds and became enthusiastic about conservation, global warming, and wanted to do more to make a difference.

1986 seemed to be a popular time for birdwatching and nature conservation and as Scilly is such a small place, I didn’t want it to be cliché. I decided the era was ideal for going back in time and reminding everyone how it used to be. Children were encouraged to go pond dipping and nature groups were set up with the Wildlife Trusts and RSPB Young Ornithologists’ Club.

As a driving instructor in those days, I had just finished a mock test for a student and we were having an ice cream to celebrate her success. We sat in the car on the side of the road close to the beach. I happened to glance down the shoreline when I noticed a bird in trouble. It was a guillemot struggling to survive the bites of dog, let loose by its owner. 

‘Excuse me a moment, Carol,’ I said as I looked out of the window. (She knew of my interest in birds) ‘See that bird down there?’

I took off my shoes and dashed down the beach. Much to Carol’s amusement she watched as her driving instructor skipped down the beach in her tights and skirt after the guillemot, which was covered in oil.

I managed to catch the bird and brought it back to the car. I had a box in the boot and we took the bird home to try to clean it. It was from this incident that my life changed. Glad to say Carol passed her driving test the next day. 

I cleaned the guillemot and looked after it for about three months until the feathers had become waterproof again. I took it back to sea and launched it from a cliff back into the water. The feelings I had about this rescue were so wonderful, I eventually began to rescue more birds and became the leader of the Teesside branch of the YOC with thirty children as members. The evenings were spent looking for tawny owls with the children on their backs on the forest floor listening to the sounds of the night. Even now, that story sends a shiver down my spine. We were guests on The Really Wild Show with Chris Packham and had our own spot in another programme where the sound man fell in a ditch during filming! Oh boy! Those were the days. 

Later in the eighties, I spent yet another holiday on Scilly. David Hunt, the resident ornithologist had been attacked by a tiger on one of his tour guiding trips in India. We could hardly believe it when we heard the announcer on Radio 4 that morning. We knew David; his knowledge of birds had inspired us. Sad to say, David was no more. Apparently the last picture he took was of the tiger’s mouth around the camera lense!

The people of Scilly are very special to me. When Will Wagstaff took over from David as resident tour guide for birders, we became friends and my experiences on Scilly and with the birdlife made me want to give something back to the residents for their kindness and hospitality. In recent years the tourist industry has been hit by the global recession and now the helicopter is no longer in service from Penzance to St Mary’s, it is even more important that Scilly remains on the map not only for the reasons of tourism, but because the islands are so fragile and need all the support they can get. I thought my book might help keep the islands in mind and make visitors want to keep visiting.  

I started writing Goodbye, Henrietta Street, to see if I could do it. My characters reflect a time of uncertainty, lack of awareness on sexuality issues and two lonely people who cannot be sure if they will see each other again. The story worked for Safkhet Publishing in their Soul genre as a holiday read and will be launched on 1^st July 2013. The book is available soon in download version and in paperback with a preorder on Amazon, in time for the launch in summer.

I look forward to summer and should you happen to be in Cornwall from 1^st July I will be signing my novel at The Edge of the World bookshop in Penzance on 2^nd July and for three weeks all over the five islands on Scilly until 27 July.  Hope to see you there.  Please call at the Scilly tourist office for further information. 

About the novel

Pippa Lambton's life has fallen apart and husband Rob is ready to give up their marriage. Three years before, their son Daniel passed away; he was the glue that held them together. Now, Pippa's left home for the beautiful Isles of Scilly, for a chance to rediscover herself. She meets handsome Norwegian nature warden, Sven Jorgensen, who teaches her about the island wildlife.

Pippa finds herself laughing again. She is aware of Rob's dilemma over his childhood adoption and their turbulent relationship, but after an awkward kiss with Sven, she is torn about how to proceed. There is much to resolve, and leaving Rob could prove a disaster. Is her affair with Sven a holiday fling? How can she walk away from Rob after losing Daniel? Should she leave her home in Yorkshire for Sven and his island paradise? Find out more in Goodbye, Henrietta Street.

About the author

Lin Treadgold is a new author and enthusiastic writer.  She changed her vocation as a driving instructor and tutors of instructors in 2001 and moved with her husband’s job to The Netherlands. To learn more about Lin go to www.itslinhere.wordpress.com
or  http://www.safkhetpublishing.com/authors/Lin_Treadgold.htm

Lin is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Society of Authors.