Over the past few years I have been collecting words. More of a hobby than anything else. If there was a word that interested me – for whatever reason, the way it looks or sounds or feels to say it, its significance, what it means or represents, I’d pop it in a small yellow notebook. And after a while I thought it might be a cool idea to put them in a book. But not just a book of words that Nik Perring (who the hell is he anyway?) thinks are interesting. No this was going to be a little more interesting than that.
So I wrote Beautiful Words. Mostly it’s the story (or one third of it anyway) of Lucy, Lily, and Alexander. And that story is told through their words. But it’s not just a story. No, no, that’d be far too straight forward. It’s a mix of fact and fiction and, as the title suggests, it contains not only beautiful words but some meanings as well as the fictions. And it’s a little like a picture book for grown-ups – the sort of thing I’d love to be given as a gift.
Here’s what my publisher, the wonderful Roastbooks, have to say about it on their Beautiful Words page (check it out for a couple of sneak peeks at the illustrations):
“Combining brevity with an overarching narrative, Nik Perring’s unusual storytelling is touching and captivating. His Beautiful series follows the lives of Lucy, Lily, and Alexander through their words, trees and shapes.
In the first of the series, Beautiful Words, fact and fiction interplay within the context of their three lives.
Accompanied by rich, playful illustrations from Miranda Sofroniou, these 26 story-gems invite us into Alexander’s world, telling us of his love, his loss and some of his favourite words too.
Beautiful Trees and Beautiful Shapes, the second and third books in the series, are due to be released later in 2014.”
And as it’s Roastbooks you can be certain that the object will be beautiful as well. The book’s going to be square again (similar to Not So Perfect albeit a little larger) the paper’s going to be something special, and Miranda’s illustrations are properly stunning. I am really, really proud of it.
Beautiful Words will be published in April. Hooray! (Incidentally, if any of you lovely lot would like to help out with the blog tour, do give me a nod (you can drop me an email using the contact box here)).
So there you go. There’s my news. I am excited.
Now I can feel that excitement 🙂 Good luck with the book.
Thanks, lovely!
I am so looking forward to these three wee gems. And their squareness, too.
Thanks Lesley – hope you like them. I like squares.
Excellent news! It sounds delicious.
Thanks, lovely lady. Hope it is!
Congratulations, Nik. I’m happy for you to stop by on my blog – I’ll message you later! 🙂
Thanks, Jessica. Looking forward to it!
Always great to have new Nik Perring stories. And this, with stories and so much more, sounds like a really interesting project. Looking forward to getting hold of a copy.
Cheers Dan. Just hope it lives up to expectation. As ever!
This sounds wonderful! Congrats! Really looking forward to it.
Thank you, lovely lady!