THE TYGRINE CAT… is back!

Dear readers

I hope life has been treating you well!

I wanted to let you know that my very first book, THE TYGRINE CAT, is OUT NOW in an all-new edition. My edition, in fact 🙂 The book originally came out in the UK in 2007 and in the US in 2008. It came out some years later in Russian, but the rights to the English edition returned to me and I am absolutely thrilled to get the story back out there!

“A spellbinding tale” – Booklist

Lost and alone, Mati seeks acceptance from a community of street cats at Cressida Lock. But Mati is no ordinary cat… and Mithos, the mysterious assassin on his trail, knows it. Mati looks different, with his golden eyes, large ears and russet coat. He also acts differently – he anticipates danger with bristling whiskers; hears voices from the feline spirit realm that he cannot understand. To defeat his enemies, Mati must unlock the secret of his true identity. In doing so, he must learn to harness an ancient feline power – a power so deadly that it threatens to destroy not only his friends but every cat on earth…

US readers, buy it here!

UK readers, buy it here!

I would love to know what you think.

Run fast, be safe, live free!

Xx Inbali

Beat the corona blues: writing tips and lesson plan

Dear readers

I hope you are well during this strange time. With so many of us in lockdown, I am posting regular videos with writing tips. I would like to encourage you to write the story that has always been in your heart! You can see the first three videos here:

EPISODE 1: THE 3 KEY PRACTICES;

EPISODE 2: CHARACTER;

EPISODE 3: PLOT.

For readers, parents, guardians and school teachers, I also wanted to share below the detailed Foxcraft lesson plan created by Scholastic. It includes lots of activities and exercises linked to the Foxcraft series and, in particular, Foxcraft 3: The Mage. Please feel free to use it and share it!

Stray strong and healthy, keep reading, keep writing!

Xx Inbali

Foxcraft website

Scholastic are designing an interactive Foxcraft website.

Details to follow soon.

Limited edition Foxcraft prints – available now!

Limited edition Foxcraft prints (featuring books to show scale)

I am super-excited to let you know that my illustrations of the first two foxcrafts – karakking and slimmering – are now available to buy as limited edition Giclée prints. The prints have been produced to the highest possible standard and are mounted in either cream or light blue. They have been individually signed and numbered by me 🙂

           “Karakking” in cream                                             “Karakking” in light blue
             “Slimmering” in cream                                          “Slimmering” in light blue

The prints are 10″ x 10″ (25.4 cm x 25.4 cm) frame size with a 6″ x 6″ (15.4cm x 15.4cm) aperture.

Karakking: Imitating the call of other creatures. The technique allows the fox to “throw” his or her voice, so it appears to come from elsewhere. Used to attract prey or confuse attackers.

Slimmering: Stilling the breath and the mind to create the illusion of invisibility. Used to avoid detection.

Each print costs £30/$40/€34 plus postage. Depending on your location, value added tax may be added – if you send me a message with your address and preferred currency I will be able to confirm the price.

If you would like to order a print, please message me through the contact form at the top of the Contact page of this website.

Run fast, be safe, live free!

xx Inbali

The Mage is here!

Hello readers,

The Mage – the third book of the Foxcraft series – hits US bookstores TODAY! I’m so excited to share this story with you. Since I first started plotting out Isla’s quest, I knew it would lead her through three distinct environments: the Graylands, the Wildlands and the Snowlands. The Snowlands is unlike anywhere that Isla has been before – a vast, hostile wilderness of bubbling geysers and razors of ice.

Oh, and wolves. Did I mention the wolves?

A blizzard was rising over the Snowlands…

A shriek and my head whipped around, heart lurching against my ribs. Was it only the wind, or something else?

Someone else?

Can Isla cross the Snowlands and survive the warring wolf packs who live there? Will she finally find answers to the riddles that have dogged her since that fateful twilight when her family disappeared? Where is Siffrin? Who is the Black Fox? What is the putrid yellow fog that is rising from the Deep Forest? What is the gloaming, and how is it linked to the most dangerous foxcraft of all?

Where is Pirie…?

Read on, brave foxes. Your quest is almost done.

Run fast, be safe, live free!

Xx Inbali

Foxcraft – recent news

Hello readers!

I wanted to update you on some exciting news. Foxcraft: Книга 2. Дикая магия is now out in Russian with Azbooka, translated by Tatyana Golubeva (http://azbooka.ru/book/26907.shtml). I’ve heard from wonderful Russian readers about Foxcraft. Книга 1. Зачарованные and seen some amazing fan art in Foxcraft communities. Thank you so much for the support. I really hope you enjoy the continuation of Isla’s adventures 

Foxcraft, Tome 2 : Les anciens is also out in French with Wiz, Albin Michel, translated by Nathalie Serval (http://www.albin-michel.fr/ouvrages/foxcraft-tome-2-9782226392381). When I finished the draft book, I went to France in order to relax and celebrate. I spent a magical week in the Languedoc region, taking in the landscape and reading about the dramatic local history. I’m thrilled that Isla is continuing her French adventure. Vivre les renards!

Excitingly, the series has just debuted in beautiful Brazil! Foxcraft 1: A Magia da Raposa is out now in Brazilian Portuguese with Rocco Jovens Leitores, translated by Debora Isidoro (http://www.rocco.com.br/livro/?cod=2850). It is making me think a lot about Brazil, and the phenomenal trip I took there some years ago – one that led me through the Pantanal wetlands, the Amazon Rainforest, the magnificent Iguassu Falls and cultural, diverse, energetic Rio. I saw crab-eating foxes in Brazil – not a variety you can see in the UK! Perhaps one day I will return. Dreams are the beginning…

Stay safe, foxes.

Xx Inbali

Greetings for malinta

Happy malinta!

Malinta is here, when day and night are of equal length. It is a time of magic for foxes. For humans too! This malinta is the vernal equinox, the beginning of the ancient Babylonian calendar, marking the count down to Passover and Easter in the Jewish and Christian faiths, and numerous other events, beliefs and traditions across the globe.

Among these beliefs is that, in the northern hemisphere, the vernal equinox marks the start of spring. Bulbs quiver to life beneath thawing soil. Songbirds trill to welcome the earlier mornings. Butterflies unfurl their delicate wings.

Whether you are touched by warmth or shivering against the cold, I hope that this equinox – this malinta – brings you the magic of a new season, a new sun.

Xx Inbali

Happy New Year, readers!

I hope your 2017 got off to a wonderful start. I always feel reflective as one year ends and another begins. Added to that, 2017 is a milestone for me, as it will be 10 years this summer since my first book was published. That book was The Tygrine Cat, a feline fantasy set against a backdrop of thousands of years of war between two rival tribes of cats. More recently, I’ve had adventures with foxes. Foxcraft 2: The Elders is out now in English and German and is set for release in other territories over the next year or two. I absolutely love the covers of these books!

Foxcraft: The Elders (US edition)

german-cover-iserles_foxcraft-ii_02a

Foxcraft: Das Geheimnis Der Altesten (German edition)

Foxcraft: The Elders (UK edition)

I have so much that I want to write this year! I am also keen to commit more time to drawing. I’m excited when I think about the ideas bouncing around my head, but I’m a little scared too. Good scared, I think. Writing isn’t always easy, but it’s truly rewarding.

Here’s wishing you all a year full of laughter, adventures, good health and love. And tons of creativity too! If you’ve been wondering whether to start a new chapter – be it a story or something else – make this the year!

Xx Inbali

Foxcraft in Japan – and the anatomy of a book jacket!

フォックスクラフト アイラと憑かれし者たち

The Japanese edition includes a striking new cover and unique illustrations drawn by a local artist. I think it’s really beautiful – I hope you agree ☺

As I don’t read Japanese, my publishers helpfully sent me a copy of the full book jacket with notes explaining what everything means. It’s a fascinating insight into the anatomy of a book jacket so they’ve kindly allowed me to reprint it here.

The anatomy of a book jacket

The book is available through Say-zan-sha (http://www.sayzansha.com/jp/books/978-4-86389-350-4.html), online via Amazon.jp and at all good Japanese bookshops!

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