It gives me great pleasure and a squizz of excitement to announce the first five chapters of my children’s novel, Chimera Book 1, are now available as podcast episodes, with subsequent episodes released on Sundays at 4pm. I’ll be sharing them here at Red’s Kingdom but you can find them on Spotify, Anchor.com, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, and Breaker.
Lots of people to thank, not least actor, Dan Snelgrove, who has given Chimera its many voices and worked so imaginatively to bring this project to life. Big thanks also to composer, Andrew Fisher, for Chimera‘s thirty seconds of musical magic, and to artist, Phil Cooper, for Chimera‘s ‘book cover’. Phil is also creating special edition paintings to accompany the release of new episodes of the Chimera audiobook, which I’ll be sharing on here in due course.
I don’t want to say too much more, except if you’re eight years old or thereabouts you should enjoy this, and if you’re eighty years old, I think you’ll enjoy it too. A short synopsis follows, but why not just pop your headphones on, press play, and prepare to lose yourself to Chimera…
“Kyp Finnegan is lost in Chimera after running away from the imposters pretending to be his parents. Chimera is as remarkable as it is dangerous – a fantastical world of lost properties in which bowties evolve into butterflies and abandoned sofas transform into snorting herds of soffalos! With the help of Atticus Weft, a sock-snake with a secret, Kyp must evade the clutches of Madame Chartreuse, who is determined to add him to her collection of lost children and imprison him in Chimera forever…”
Chapter 1 – The Mum & Dad Who Weren’t
Chapter 2 – The Tentacle & The Tea Tray Bridge
Chapter 3 – A Talking Snake
Chapter 4 – The Oblivion Three
Chapter 5 – The Elsewhere Light
Keep up-to-date to with all the latest chapters here at anchor.fm/chimerabook1
Tune in next Sunday at 4pm for the next instalment of Chimera!
Red's Kingdom 
Just been listening on Spotify, it sounds TERRIFIC! 😀
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Thanks Phil… It ‘looks’ rather terrific on there too – thanks to you and that swirl of small-boy nostalgia! 🙂
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Love it! Dan – you have got this nailed. Super characterization and your vocal range is impressive. Phil, the descriptions of this world glow and fizz like the “shock poppies” themselves, and I especially like all the underlying wordplays. Looking forward to next week’s installment. I shall be there with a mug of tea and some honey-covered toast, just waiting to hear what happens. Has Kip got the fugue? Is the Berserker still after them? Do periwigs need much exercise and can I have one? Terrific!
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All these questions and more will be answered! Now, if only there was someone out there with the skills, imagination and crafting dexterity to crochet a periwig…
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Dan did such a fantastic job bringing such vivacious texture to your words Phil! Such a good match between you both. Looking forward to next weeks instalment! 🙂
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I’m happy you enjoyed it, Graeme! & yes, Dan is fab, a total legend in the recording studio. He’s been amazing throughout the whole process – so imaginative and sensitive to all the characters. Dan is sending me the new chapters as he completes them, which means I’m waiting to get my hands (ears?) on Chapter 6 too!
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