It’s Guinea Pig Appreciation Day! It’s about time I celebrated it with you.
Me and my Guinea Pigs
You may know that I appreciate guinea pigs, large and small, and have three at home at present. I’m currently waiting for the coronavirus precautions to lift enough for the local rescue to let me adopt two more. I can’t wait – she has so many lovely pairs of boars looking for good homes (I think mine qualifies).
Here are Roscoe, Neville and Biggles, my current friends.
How it all started
You may not know that my first two guinea pigs were Fred and George.
You may know that the heroes of my Princelings of the East series are named Fred and George.
Yes, I started writing the stories because of my guinea pigs. I still think of them, their personalities, as the people in the books. You can read the books in any way you like, but I think of them all as guinea pigs, and many of the other characters are based on the pets my friends had.
‘Had’ because guinea pig lives are all too short. Five to seven years is considered ‘a good age’. Eight is becoming more common. Three is still, unfortunately, not an uncommon age. Its sort of early middle age for a guinea pig. The only one I’ve had go that young was Bertie, who went this May. Bertie plays quite a big part on book 9 of my Princelings series. I wonder if I had a premonition? Roscoe, Neville and Biggles only really feature in number 10, which I’m working on now.
A little bit about book 10: Princelings Revolution
The simple life of the Realms where kings ruled, and the people lived their lives within those constraints, has changed. Was it was the new source of energy (strawberry juice fuel cells, introduced by George)? Or was it the rise of powerful lords with no family connection to the castles? Maybe the new forms of transport gave the ‘common’ people ideas that they too might travel about the Realms, and not just as refugees. Then again, maybe Willoughby the Narrator stirred it all up with the new ideas presented in his stories.
Whatever the cause, the Realms are in ferment. Someone is goading the populace into revolution, and even the quietest, best-run castles are not immune.
What would happen to King Fred’s comfortable life if the rebels deposed him? How would his family survive? And what would happen to the promise he made Mariusz, in the land across the Great Western Sea? Surely he could not renege on a promise?
Find out how it all ends in Princelings Revolution, the final book of the Princelings of the East series by Jemima Pett.
Ebook available on pre-order at iTunes, B&N, Kobo and Amazon. Current release date 1st October 2020.
How to catch up with the books
From now until Monday (16-20th July) you can catch up on any of the books you’ve missed.
The box set of the Trilogy (books 1-3) is on sale FREE at Smashwords.
Press ‘Buy’; add the code as shown; complete your purchase. Go back to the page and download the books in the format of your choice: mobi for Kindle, epub for Nook, Kobo and iPad, or pdf if you prefer.
The second box set (books 4-6) is on SPECIAL OFFER – probably its BEST OFFER EVER
The individual books are also at bargain prices, so you can also catch up with Willoughby the Narrator, Princelings of the North, and Chronicles of Marsh before the final one comes out in October.
Feel free to leave a review on your favourite review places, too!
Loving Neville’s hairdo! Is, he, like the rest of us, eagerly awaiting a trim? (Mine comes on Thursday).
He had his today! It’ll do a before and after on their Facebook page later 🙂
Well done with the next book on the way. Your little men are darling – I do want to pet them! ANd yes, even animals you wouldn’t think much of with regard to personalities have them. My son’s lizard was a hoot. Loved to be petted.