Tales of Ramion by Frank Hinks ~ The Dream Thief #Excerpt #BlogTour @midaspr

Tales of Ramion

 Packed full of the whacky adventures that three young boys embark upon in the magical land of Ramion

I am very lucky to have two children who have followed me in my passion for reading. I always love when a parent transfers their passion for books onto paper, encouraged by reading to their own kids. Such is the case with Tales of Ramion by Frank Hinks, a highly successful Chancery QC by day, and now a children’s illustrator and author by night.

Inspired by the fantastical bed-time stories he created for his own young children, Frank Hinks set about creating these stunning fantasy storybooks featuring unique hand-painted, full page illustrations.

I am joining Frank Hinks on tour today with a focus on The Dream Thief, one of four stories in this collection.

I have an extract for you all so I hope you enjoy..

The Dream Thief ~ Excerpt

“Hi! I’m Julius. These are my brothers, Alex and Benje. What is your name?” “Susan,” replied the girl, wiping tears from her eyes. “I have lost my dream. One moment I was drawing happily with my crayons, dreaming of becoming an artist. The next moment my dream had gone. Then I found myself here.”

Alex whispered to his brothers, “It’s Mum” I’ve seen a picture of her when young up in the cottage attic.” “Don’t tell her we are her sons,” replied Julius, “The knowledge would freak her out.” “And if she finds out what Ben is like she might decide she doesn’t want children and we might never exist!” added Alex. At this (not surprisingly) Benjamin kicked Alexander and they fell fighting to the ground.

“Stop fighting, boys!” commanded the little girl in an amazingly loud voice.

The boys stopped fighting. “Wow!” they cried. “What a voice!” “Just like Mum!” “If we are not careful she will stand us in the corner!”

“I am here to find my dream. Why are you here?” asked the little girl.
“We have come to help you find your dream,” the boys replied.

“Why?”

Julius thought fast. How could he explain why they had come without revealing that they were her children. At last he said, “Our cat Snuggle is a Dream Lord, a guardian of dreams. He told us that we must come and help you.” To Susan this sounded entirely reasonable. She also had a cat, not a Dream Lord, but to her very special.

Then they heard shouting in the corridor. Alex rushed to the door. He looked cautiously outside. Trembling with fear he closed the door quietly and turned to his brothers. “It’s the Princess of the Night and a revolting creature with huge fat belly and long pointy tongue.”

“Who is the Princess of the Night?” asked Susan.

“Not someone you would like to meet. If she gets half a chance she will turn you into a statue and add you to her art collection.” Susan agreed that this was not something to be desired.

Then Julius said, “We must get out of here,” for he had just noticed a door at the back of Room 533. Swiftly, he opened the door, then screamed, “Not such a good idea!!!!” as he and his brothers and Susan were sucked into a tunnel and spat out into the Place of Nightmares.

The boys and Susan tumbled through blackness and landed in a building. The building was so grand the ceilings reached up to the sky. The children did not much like the way the walls were moving in to crush them. “But could be worse,” remarked Alex coolly. Then great monster heads started to emerge from the walls. With winking eyes and leering mouths their tongues shot out trying tos weep the boys and girl into their gaping mouths.

“Not so good,” gasped Julius as he and Alexander took Susan and Benje by the hand and began to run. Then the building burst into flame.

“Help! Help! Help!” cried Benjamin and Susan as fires blazed around them.

Then a wall collapsed. An opening appeared. “Through the gap!” shouted Julius leading the way.

The boys and girls found themselves in a raging violet sky. They were standing on a narrow edge of stone. Each side plummeted down thousands of feet. In the middle of an electric storm they fell to their knees, hugged the ground in terror as lightning and thunder flashed and crashed around them and howling winds tried to tear them from the edge. It was not pleasant, not pleasant at all.

Then the boys and Susan became aware that they were not alone on the edge. A cat was with them. “Snuggle!” “Help!” “I’m losing my grip!”

“In the Place of Nightmares there is nothing to fear but fear itself,” replied the cat. “Join hands.” Boys and girl joined hands. “Now jump off the edge.”

Purchase Link ~ The Dream Thief

About Tales of Ramion

Ramion is a magical place where anything can happen and frequently does. In this collection of enchanting fantasy stories, three young boys travel the realm of Ramion on incredible adventures with their cat Snuggle, escaping from their insidious foes, the witch Griselda who longs to eat them and the Princess of the Night, a keen collector of real human sculptures.

Four uniquely wacky stories, Tales of Ramion are great reads for children and are particularly well loved by young boys thanks to the author’s cheeky storytelling and mischievous humour.

Bio

Frank Hinks is a successful Chancery QC. From childhood he dreamt of being both barrister and writer, but as an artist he’s not self-taught but wife-taught, developing his unique style under the uncompromising gaze of his wife, Susan Haire, a professional artist.

The series was inspired by his eldest son, Julius who would give him the first line of a story at bedtime and leave him to carry on without any idea where it was going. These stories have evolved into books with colour illustrations of full page gouache paintings.