Special Guest Post by Catherine McCarthy, Author of The Wolf and the Favour

Available from  Amazon UK and Amazon US

Ten-year-old Hannah has Down syndrome and oodles of courage, but should she trust the alluring tree creature who smells of Mamma’s perfume or the blue-eyed wolf who warns her not to enter the woods under any circumstance?

The Wolf and the Favour tells the story of ten-year-old Hannah as she strives to come to terms with being rejected by her mother, an actor and dancer who Hannah adores. What sets the story apart is the fact that Hannah has Down syndrome. 

As a former primary school teacher celebrating neurodivergence is a subject that is close to my heart. I believe there is far too little representation in literature being told from a neurodivergent voice, especially stories that depict the central character as the hero of their own destiny. As a teacher, I often struggled to find fiction that celebrated the voice of such characters, therefore this novel is my attempt to redress the balance in some small way.

 
Set in Wales, the novel was inspired by two things: my past experience as a teacher (especially my experience in teaching children with difficulties), and the house in which I live—a 200 year-old Welsh farmhouse in Ceredigion. 

Behind the house is a lane that climbs all the way to a farm. The lane is backed by woodland, and at night it is possible to hear the cry of the fox and the hoot of the owl. I thought, what if a wolf lived in the woods? A wolf with blue eyes, one who tells stories from ancient Welsh folklore. It all started from there.

 
The following is a short extract, taken from the prologue. It’s winter, and the lane and woodland beyond are coated in crisp white snow. Hannah is about to venture farther along the lane than she has ever done before, thus both physically and metaphorically completing her journey ...

Come on Hannah, you can do it.

    It wasn’t Hannah’s own voice that spoke, not even the one in her head. And it wasn’t Dada’s voice, even though she’d heard him say those exact words so many times. And it wasn’t her voice, because she’d been gone for such a long time. She sniffed and wiped a cold trickle of snot onto her coat sleeve.

    See, that’s what frightened her about The Lane—it spoke to her. It had always spoken to her. It wasn’t a scary voice, but an encouraging voice, a gentle, persuading voice. Oh―there were so many words she loved! Musical words. Words you could split into parts and clap a rhythm to. “Per–suad–ing.” That one had three claps.

    A few more steps …

Too frightened to look up. Instead, she stared down at her wellington-clad feet as they came to life without her even telling them to. On and on they plodded, with a mind of their own, leading her farther and farther.

    And her heart continued to beat faster and faster with each step—just like her little robin’s.

Although The main character in the novel is a child, The Wolf and the Favour is not categorized as a children’s book. That said, it’s target audience would include anyone from around the age of twelve, all the way up to adult, as there are a few ‘adult’ themes hinted at throughout that would not be suitable for young children.

 
The Wolf and the Favour is a story with a lot of heart and should appeal to anyone who enjoys reading about real-life issues with a touch of the fantastical/supernatural. I would love you to join Hannah on her journey, and thank you for reading.

Catherine McCarthy

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About the Author

Catherine McCarthy weaves dark tales on an ancient loom from her farmhouse in West Wales. Her published novellas and novels include Immortelle, Mosaic, A Moonlit Path of Madness, and The Wolf and the Favour. Her short fiction has been published in various anthologies and magazines, including those by Black Spot Books, Brigids Gate Press, and Dark Matter Ink. In 2020 she won the Aberystwyth University Prize for her short fiction. Time away from the loom is spent hiking the Welsh coast path or huddled in an ancient graveyard reading Dylan Thomas or Poe. Find out more from Catherine's website www.catherine-mccarthy-author.com and find her on Facebook and Twitter @serialsemantic