Smugglers. Vikings. Shetland should be a fascinating place for a
holiday, but Jack is harbouring a secret and is less than enthusiastic
to be there. Then he meets Izzie and her exotic pets and things start to get more interesting: Jack finds an unexpected visitor
underneath the fridge; the wandering tramp is not what he seems, and
each night a mysterious person waits on the beach outside Jack's
cottage. But what do all these have to do with an unusual visitor named
Octavia?
Jack and Izzie unwittingly find themselves in the middle of
a dangerous adventure, wondering what the next tide will bring to the
land of the Viking Fire Festival.
Tarantula Tide is a debut novel by Sharon Tregenza, who has already
established herself as a well-known writer of children's poetry and
short stories. It is a gripping children's adventure/mystery story,
bursting with the wildlife of the Shetland Islands.
I’m with a group of friends and family and we are in a striped marquee. It’s the 2008 International Edinburgh Book Festival and I feel sick with apprehension. Weeks earlier I’d got a letter from Floris Books to tell me that my submission was short-listed for the Kelpie Award. At stake was a cheque for two thousand pounds and a guaranteed publishing contract for my children’s book. I practised my Oscar – winning “Thank you all so much” smile in front of the mirror, painted my toenails, and bought a new outfit. Then all I had to do was wait. Now, we three short-listed writers make polite conversation, pose for photographs and nervously sip wine. The tent is full – buzzing with local media, writers, publishers, and agents as well our supporters. There’s a call to order and I hurry back to my group to take the good or the bad news surrounded by people who care. The crowd grows quiet and I can feel my heart hammering. Annmarie Allan gives a gracious speech about her year as Kelpie winner 2007 and then Viv French takes the stage. She reads excerpts from all three books – mine is last. I listen hard to the others over the deafening sound of blood thumping in my ears. God, that’s good, I think. Is it better than mine? Is it? She’s reading my story now – my characters, my setting, MY book. Viv reads brilliantly and I hear the children, who have lived for so long in my imagination, come to life. It’s a thrilling moment. The readings are over. I can feel the tension in the air as the envelope with the winners name is passed on stage. ‘And the winner is . . .’ the next few seconds feel like hours as I hold my breath for that X-factor moment. ‘And the winner is . . . Tarantula Tide by Sharon Tregenza.’ My family explode with shrieks and cheers as I fight my way through to collect my super-size cheque and face a barrage of flashing cameras. I am gloriously happy. My smile is a mile wide and is reflected back by the sea of faces below me. We party into the small hours, savouring each wonderful moment. Every twenty minutes or so someone shouts out . . . ‘and the winner is?’ And we all scream back: 'Tarantula Tide'
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