Researching To Get It Right

I started writing non-fiction 20 years ago and I continue to write non-fiction magazine features to this day.  I've always strived to write features that are as accurate as possible. Even though I know (I heard it on the TV programme QI, so it must be true) that facts normally have a shelf life of five years. 

This desire to get facts correct crosses over into my picture book and short story writing. I've had many a discussion with editors on getting the 'facts' right. I understand in my picture and short story collections we're dealing with talking animals or creatures that don't exist. However, having studied environmental geography at university I prefer to try to ensure the life science elements of a story are as real as possible. 

For example in my first picture book (A Book For Bramble) Bramble the hedgehog is hibernating under an upturned wheel barrow. This is based on real life. You see in between 'life' stuff I rescue hedgehogs (Herts Hogline) and two carers I work with lost the use of their wheelbarrow to hedgehogs hibernating under them. However I did have to concede to the editors decision that Bramble slept with his family. Typically hedgehogs hibernate on their own. I say typically because we've had  autumn hoglets in our care hibernate late in the season curled up beside their siblings, even though we provided a hibunacula each.

This year I've worked on two books that feature a hedgehog as the main character. The first was a picture called 'Harveys Big Sleep' written as co-author with hypnotist Chris Caress. The second book (Hedgehog of Moon Meadow Farm) is a collection of re-told short stories obviously staring a hedgehog. It was important to me that although I was dealing with talking animals that I kept the stories as natural as possible and that the facts were correct. So in both books I have Harvey and Hedgehog eating the right food, only rambling at night and living on their own. 

I'm now working on a follow on collection of short stories (Fox of Moon Meadow Farm) that stars a Fox. As with my previous books it's important to me to keep to the facts as much as I can. So because I don't know anywhere near as much about our other wildlife (foxes, badgers, starlings etc.) I've had the pleasure in having to do some research (it's the geek in me, I love a bit of research). So I've researched a range of things including:

• What times foxes are most active
• When they have their cubs and what calls they make 
• When leatherjackets (crane fly) are in season
• How wild animals deal with parasites, mainly fleas
• What starlings eat and their natural behaviour
• When damson fruit come into season

Armed with this research I'm now working up the roughed out stories and I'm hoping by this time next month I'll have the first draft completed. As I've been writing this post I've been asking myself if I'm the only one who likes to keep to the facts or is that just 'so yesterday?' What with fake news appearing to be the thing to write at the moment.

So what do you prefer to write or read fact or fake?    

Lynne 

Now for a blatant plug:

Hedgehog of Moon Meadow Farm

UK - ebook and paperback

US - ebook and paperback

Meet the Trickers

UK - ebook and paperback

US- ebook and paperback

Brer Rabbit

UK - ebook 

US - ebook

Coyote Rales Retold

UK - ebook

US - ebook

Anansi the Trickster Spider (Volumes 1 & 2)

UK - paperback

US - paperback

My Love of Hedgehogs

A book about the friendship between a
mouse and a hedgehog

If you're a long-term follower of The Picture Book Den then you'll know I love hedgehogs. So much so that I've been rescuing them (on a very small scale from a 6' x 8' shed in my back garden) for the last 25 years (Herts Hogline). They're so much a part of my life that they even creep into my writing. In fact my first picture book 'A Book For Bramble' was inspired by them. I've also written a great many non-fiction magazine features about hedgehogs and this year they star in my latest collect of 8 retold traditional tales (Hedgehog of Moon Meadow Farm) and my latest picture book written as co-author with hypnotist Chris Caress called 'Harvey's Big Sleep.' 
  

A picture booked aimed at helping
children to sleep

As I write this post and if you're reading this within a couple of weeks of my pressing the publish button, I'm hand rearing six hoglets. So rather than tell you something about picture books I've decided to do something a little different. I'm going to turn you all into hedgehog geeks, so you'll know exactly what to do to help our dwindling hedgehog population. Quick fact: hedgehog numbers in the 1950s-60s were an estimated 30 million. Today that has plummeted to 1 million (a faster loss than the loss of the world's tigers). So here are a few ways you can help our hogs:

Just a few days old. For scale
that's a fifty pence under one of them.    

• If you have a pond with steep sides then fit a ramp.
• Keep netting at least 15cm (6") off the ground.
• Leave out food and water. This can be special hedgehog food, tinned cat/dog food (non-fishy flavours) but NEVER bread and milk. To avoid cats eating the food buy or make a feeding station.
• Always check under hedges and in long grass before cutting.
• Pick up elastic bands or hair bands, cut up and put into a bin. These and prickles don't mix well.
• To avoid hedgehogs making a nest in your shed/garage, stable or tack room keep the door closed at all times.
• Do not use slug pellets; find safer alternatives.
• Always check a bonfire before you light it.
• Provide shelter by buying or making a hog home. 
• Hedgehogs out during the day are highly likely to need medical help a.s.a.p. so contact British Hedgehog Preservation Society for advice.
• Never treat for fleas; pet flea solutions are lethal to hedgehogs.
• During autumn and winter small hedgehogs (under 600 grams) are too small to hibernate, so need to be rescued.

As this is the height of the breeding season the BHPS provide the following advice on nesting females and hoglets:

If you accidentally disturb a nest, try to restore it quickly and without too much fuss.  Check with a piece of screwed up piece of paper to see whether mum is returning, they all react differently, some move the babies over several days, a few have been known to kill them whilst others just abandon them.  If the nest is in a place where it cannot be left, catch the mother before the babies as she will be the most mobile.  Place her in high-sided box with some of the bedding from the nest and then slip her babies in with her.  Contact the BHPS to find a local contact who can advise and if necessary take in the family.  Do not release them somewhere yourself as the mum is very likely to abandon them, given the amount of disturbance she has endured.

First taste of puppy food

Last but not least if you're concerned about your local visiting hedgehog, need advice or find an orphaned, sick or injured hedgehog, contact the BHPS (01584 890801)  they can give general advice and perhaps details of a local hedgehog rehabilitator that you can contact.

If you've reached this far, thanks for reading and please do share this far and wide. Hedgehogs need as many friends as they can get.

Regards

Lynne

Now for a blatant plug:

My latest collection of short stories featuring Hedgehog is available on Amazon in eBook format and as a paperback.

Hedgehog of Moon Meadow Farm

UK - ebook and paperback

US - ebook and paperback

Wearing Two Hats at The Same Time

I was recently contacted by a teacher who had set hedgehogs as the theme for a class project. She asked if I could visit the children and talk to them about hedgehogs and the volunteer work I do rescuing them.  I suggested as part of my visit I also put my author hat on and read my picture book 'A Book For Bramble.'

As I spoke to the children I was amazed at the number of facts they already knew. These included:

• They are nocturnal
• Their main defence is to roll into a ball
• They eat slugs, snails, caterpillars, bugs etc. but you can also feed them hedgehog food or cat/dog food
• It's good to leave water out for them during hot weather 
• There are different types of hedgehogs
• Hedgehogs are quite good swimmers
• A hedgehog can run up to 4 miles per hour (although I know they are fast, as I've had to chase escapees, I didn't know it was that fast)

Although I enjoyed the visit what arrived in the post really made the visit special, an envelope containing hedgehog themed thank you cards. These cards will go onto the hedgehog shed wall but before this happens I wanted to share them.

The hedgehog themed thank you cards kindly sent to me after my school visit

Hedgehogs galore!

More hedgehogs plus a little mouse called Teasel

I hope you've enjoyed seeing these images. 

Note to teachers:

If you're a teacher about to cover the theme of hedgehogs and would like me to visit please click on the 'support us' button for more details.

P.S.

Sadly many hedgehogs may have died in the floods this year, so those that have survived will need our help more than ever. So if you have a hedgehog who visits your garden then you may wish to supply it with a new home or perhaps leave some food out.