The Otterfox Almanac of Silly Rhymes - a book

The Otterfox presents to you some strange and wonderous rhymes.....

So over the last while I've been writing some weird rhymes such as a lady who spends her days whistling into saucepans or a lad trying to escape from his own rhyme or a queen training tiny jockeys for rabbit races or even silent noises that develop when mist falls up to the sky.

So I've collected all these mad scribblings into a book and I found a publisher that liked my offbeat ramblings and the book is now due for launch next month.

If anyone is interested in buying the book it can be pre-ordered now at a reduced rate of £7.50 or you can buy it for £10 after the launch.

Thanks very much for taking the time to read this. If you are a fan of any of my surreal sketches I'd imagine that you would like this book too.

Here's the link:

https://thefamousseamussite.wordpress.com/the-otterfox-almanac-of-silly-rhymes/

Give us a taster then.

Oh, and we'll done.

Thank you sir.

There will be 23 rhymes in the book so I'll just post up the first 20

Alrighty, here's a taster...

The Mystery Queen
A night and day has never been
The likes to greet the mystery queen
Some say she comes from far off places
And she is a queen of many faces
The queen not much is known about
Except she likes to dance with trout
She catches weasels in some nets
She likes to tame them, make them pets
Training small jockeys for rabbit races
It's what they do in far off places.

Thanks for the snippet and it looks very interesting. When I was reading it I noticed how well it flows and can be spoken using large gestures and movement to help set the scene so it sounds like perfect for Children's Theatre and putting the imagination to use. Is it a standard paperback dimensions kind of affair and are there any illustrations? If there are no illustrations have you looked in to the idea of getting artists to create them for a future collections because the taster makes me think of a slightly effeminate Elizabethan fop telling tales to the town young folk.

I believe it's a little wider than standard paperback and there are illustrations too. I would like it in hardcover too but we'll see what happens. I'm going for a sort of vintage look, almost like an old Almanac you may find in your grandads attic.

Good luck with it and browsing will turn to buying for me and I'll give feedback after I've read the book. The artwork is very good and has that vintage feel. I can imagine it being on the cover of a tin full of Coleman's mustard powder.

Wishing you huge good luck with the book Otterfox. I am definitely a fan of your uniquely delightful nonsense...chess with a Duck...

Thanks to you both for the kind words. Colmans mustard would be the vintagey feel we're going for. I'm a sucker for anything with a fox and Victorian/Edwardian era so a vintage fox gracing the cover is the idea of the perfect cover for me.

I'd definitely be interested in getting your opinion on it too.

Chess with a duck indeed. I believe the closest we get to a duck in the book is if you perform a particular dance called the didgyduldeen twice a mad fighting hen appears from the shadows and attempts to punch your lights out.

Not related to Edward Lear by any chance ?

Quote: Flook @ 12th June 2018, 8:35 AM

Not related to Edward Lear by any chance ?

View original

Edward Lear, Lewis Carroll and Spike Milligan would have all been influences.

You are in good company then - good luck.

Just a quick update on the book. We appear to be having some issues with the distribution of the book so if you would like a copy it's best to contact me directly for now and I'll be more than happy to help.

Here's another sample:

Silent Noises

I thought I heard a silent pop

and then I thought I heard it stop.

Then I thought I heard a bubble,

then a second, double bubbles.

Soon after that I heard the sun,

beaming its rays on everyone

I heard a mime when he looked around

and then I heard my uncle when he frowned

I was thinking how this was quite absurd

when I heard the loudest nothing I had ever heard

It started squeaking and ended with a blast.

I think it saved the best for last.

Silent noises are for ears so keen

and are almost never ever seen

They develop from mist falling up to the sky

just once a year on 3rd of July.

Great stuff.
Ive found you on twitter and will ordering some for my granddaughter.
Granddad will have a little peep first though)

Haha! Lovely! You can pm me your details and I'll be happy to sort it out for you.

Otterfox,

Some of this could do with tightening up.

'The likes to greet the mystery queen' isn't really proper English.

Some say she comes from far off places
And she is a queen of many faces

- 'And she's a queen of many faces' scans better.

'She catches weasels in some nets' is a bit weak - 'She catches weasels in her nets' would be better.

Edward