Iain Cameron Williams

THE Tail of 'Too Bad' Mike Iain Cameron Williams

Mike, the shrew, was born without a tail. His grandmother was a whiz at sewing and made him a false tail from woven horsehair, which he wears every day. It's the best tail in the land, and all the other shrews are envious of it. When his tail goes missing, presumed stolen, Mike sets off with his skateboard to find it. Along the way, he encounters a sequence of adventures, the outcome of which sees him acquiring the nickname 'Too Bad' and becoming the most celebrated animal in the kingdom of Pembridge ... this is 'The Tail of 'Too Bad' Mike.' 'My inspiration for 'The Tail of 'Too Bad' Mike' came from a visit I made to London's V& A Museum in 2009, where I saw a Beatrix Potter display. I was fascinated by her life, especially her philanthropy. After leaving the museum, as it was a sunny afternoon, I walked up to Hyde Park and lay down for a while on East Albert Lawn. One of Potter's book titles kept going around in my mind and sparked my imagination. The book was 'The Tale of Two Bad Mice.' From it, I devised the title, 'The Tail of 'Too Bad' Mike.' That was my starting point; from there, I concocted the imaginary world of 'Too Bad' Mike. I wrote the story in 2010 then put it to one side, intending to revise and edit it at a later date. In 2020, I rediscovered the manuscript during the Coronavirus lockdown and finally got round to revising it.' Iain Cameron Williams, December 2020.