Hello. My name is Mark Whitaker and I am, amongst a whole host of other things, a writer of stories for children.
I have two complete novels which are currently making their way around the country in brown envelopes in search of a sympathetic desk...
Katie's Zoo is an adventure/mystery story for 7-10-year-olds. It starts on the day that Katie finds a crocodile called George behind her settee and follows her frustrated efforts to get things back to normal. Along the way she's joined by a motley collection of other animal refugees, including Claudette (a stuck-up bird of paradise) and Fingers (a menacing porcupine). And what story of talking animals would be complete without a sinister vet to boo at? You can view a synopsis and the first three chapters online.
The Willow Keeper is a mystery for the 10+ age group. On the surface it's about a young boy, Sam, and his search for a supernatural figure (the Willow Keeper) who returns lost things. But underneath run themes of love, hope, secrets, lies, and how children deal with the sudden disappearance of a parent. As you can probably tell, it's a less light-hearted read than Katie's Zoo but it's probably my favourite of the two. Again, synopsis and first three chapters are available so please have a look!
I'm currently clearing the decks for my next novel, a comedy ghost-busting adventure called Professor Pickles and the Case of the Stubborn Chandelier (Pickles for short). After that, who knows? I'm kind of hoping that riches beyond my wildest dreams will have occurred by then and I'll be penning fabulous sequels from my yacht on the Mediterranean, but just in case I have a Plan B that involves sticking with the day job. :)
And you can read more on Mark's own web site.
