Jackie’s dream realised as first book is published

A NEW children’s author from South Dublin has had one of her dreams come true with the publication of her first book.

Jackie Burke, who lives with her husband in Bray, County Wicklow, saw the first book in the Grindlewood series launched recently.

The Grindle family and their pets move into an old, rambling house and discover a collection of enchanted animals in their garden.

Now Jamie, Jemima, Timber and Teddy must take up a quest and succeed where all others have failed.

But they are up against a powerful warlock and the race is on to see who will uncover the hidden spell first.

The Secrets of Grindlewood is Jackie’s first outing as a children’s author. The series is inspired by all that Jackie loves in nature including gardens, forests, wildlife and especially cats and dogs.

She explained that many of the characters are based on real animals, including Timber who is a real malamute owned by Peri Burnside, who lives in County Down with her family, most of whom are involved in breeding and showing the dogs.

“Timber is a multi-award winning malamute, who I met three years ago in Peri’s home,

? Jackie said.

“He is an absolute darling.

“Teddy is a real cat who adopted myself and my husband for a couple of years, before his official owners moved house and took him with them, much to our dismay.

“He was a wonderfully friendly, funny cat who just loved our company and practically lived at our house.

?

The three foxes are inspired by the foxes that have regularly visited every garden Jackie has ever had, including some visitors last year who were chased out of the garden by their new cat.
Ramona was a real rabbit, extraordinarily large, pure white and definitely a rabbit with attitude,

? Jackie added.

“She lived next door to and used to eat or dig her way through the hedge in the garden and then eat all mother’s flowers.

?

Jackie and her younger brother were tasked with catching her – but they never could.

Jackie grew up with her sister and three brothers on the Southside. An avid reader and writer since her early school days, she only recently began writing children’s stories, having dreamed of doing so for quite some time.

Book two in the series will be released in 2014, with the third and fourth installments following soon after.

The Secrets of Grindlewood: Book 1 is available in paperback (

?¬9.99) and eBook (

?¬4.99).