The River Days of Rosie Crow – almost here!
I love this cover so much. I really do. I’m a little done with people on my front cover’s staring wistfully out to the distance, so imagine my delight when my publisher for this novel (definitely a benefit of signing with a small, indie publisher) agreed when I asked if a friend could create the cover. I knew that this particular friend (who would like to be known as A. West) would do an incredible job and I wasn’t disappointed. She poured so much love and care into painstakingly block printing the features and then playing around with them on an iPad software and I truly couldn’t have hoped for a final result that better embraces the heart of my book.
It is true that Rosie Crow is the protagonist (as is another character called Rose – the reason for the similarities in their names will come clear once you read the book!). However, the other main character is the River Mermaid who weaves, wends and flows her way through the novel. Different features of chalk river ecosystems adorn this cover, which I absolutely love, such as Stream-Water Crowfoot, the native White-clawed Crayfish (as opposed to the invasive American signal crayfish that are sadly crowding out native species) and Stickleback.
The River Mermaid, near Alysham
In my story, the River Mermaid (a real river in North Norfolk, a tributary of the Bure) is a sentient being. She talks to Rosie for the course of her life (at least, this is what Rosie believes, and I leave the reader to draw their own conclusions on this) and our young protagonist records the stories the Mermaid tells her. The natural world has always been important in my novels, but in this one it stands centre stage as I delve into the North Norfolk landscape of a village outside Aylsham: the flora and fauna, the trees, birds, butterflies (I also have a beautiful grizzled skipper on the front cover), insects and other creatures.
I wrote this novel during lockdown, which reminds me just how long it can take from the writing to publication stage (you need nerves of steel to be a novelist and perseverance aplenty) when we were all at home, wondering how to exist and what to focus on to help expand our worlds beyond our own four walls. On our daily walk to the allotment (thank goodness for that small patch of land), I started taking more and more notice of the wildflowers growing up through the cracks in pavements and the ‘weeds’ on the verges, straining towards the light. With the help of my grandmother’s wildflower book she had given me many years before and which I’d never used, I started identifying them which definitely helped stoke an interest in plant life. Researching native species to the meadows, hedgerows, heathland and riverbanks around the village of Marsham where the novel takes place, I decided to give each chapter heading the name of one of these species which then took its place in some way (either small or large) in that chapter. Here are some examples: Chickweed. Henbane. Meadowsweet. Water Starwort. Now, they are so much more than words to me: they are healing medicines; they are imbued with folklore; they are part of vital, fragile ecosystems and they too, like the river, have stories to tell.
An artist’s impression of the River Mermaid (credit Tor Falcon)
I can’t wait to share this book with you. It’s been a long time coming.
The River Days of Rosie Crow will be published on March 27th by Stairwell Books.
Compliment this blog post with reading a post I wrote deep in the heart of lockdown about the inspiration behind this book & some reflections on my journey as a writer on rejection and acceptance.
So excited for this, Rebecca! A huge well done for getting it over the line. It sounds like a timely and lyrical read. Let me know if I can pre-order one and I look forward to getting stuck in 💙
Thanks so much Caroline, I really appreciate it 💚 I’m not sure about pre-orders but it’s a good question. I will ask and let you know if it’s possible!
Phenomenal cover, indeed. A kingfisher, too! Like my favourite kookaburra over here in Australia. It’s so simple, yet elegantly rich with details. I got a sense of the book just from the cover, before even reading what you say about the story.
Ah thank you Shirley. Yes I agree, it’s a gorgeous cover! I am plotting an online launch which I’d love you to come to, so will keep you posted xx
I’ll order this from my library, I can’t wait to read it and as I’m in Norfolk I’m going to go exploring to find a stretch of the River Mermaid!
Hi Michele, thank you so much! I would love to know what you think of it x
I am going to have a launch in Aylsham Library also so do keep an eye on dates and details here on my blog 🙂