As many of you may know from my social media feeds, when putting together the plot of my latest Deeper Realms novella (The Nandi Bear, link below) I had the idea of having my time travelling protagonists bump into the iconic natural history broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, while filming the documentary Zoo Quest in the early 1960s - after all they were all in the right part of the world at about the right time.
Such endeavors aren't to be entered into lightly, however, and before I acted on this slightly crazy idea, I made sure to seek Sir David's approval. By a combination of search engine work and confirming that the details I had found were both up to date and not spurious, via a contact who had similarly written to this national treasure (Thanks Mary Anning Rocks), I penned a hand written letter in which I laid out my idea and asked for his permission.
Within two weeks I had a reply - that I could pen what I wished so long as it was purely fictional and not libelous - and thus I set to work on a spot of research to give Sir David a brief cameo appearance.
To be honest I was extremely touched. That a gentleman of both his age and commitments would take the time to consider my unusual request and reply personally was really quite staggering. And I'm told I am not alone. Sir David takes great time to work through his fan mail and replied with sincerity and professionalism. It's hard for me not to feel slightly star struck.
David Attenborough's passion, enthusiasm, clear generosity and self-deprecating dignity is something which shines through to everyone who encounters him and I have read many stories of the various ways he has both impressed and inspired people from all walks and spheres of life, from the slightly star-struck fan to the cynical TV presenter, and I'm so glad, that Sir David is with us to bring some of the dignity, wit and decency of the early to mid twentieth century into our increasingly self-promoting age!
And what's more, Sir David was kind enough to write me a second letter after I sent him a paperback copy of the novella in which he appears!
There's a part of me which thinks: good grief, what is he going to make of this - I cant imagine he's read a lot of female driven time travelling fantasy fiction - but I'm thrilled to think that both my art work and prose are in the hands of a man who has inspired me to love nature and the past since my earliest days.
Thank you Sir David!
You can buy The Nandi Bear in both paperback and eBook here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nandi-Bear-Deeper-Realms-Book-ebook/dp/B07RT64GCJ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=ian+roberts+the+nandi+bear&qid=1560422054&s=gateway&sr=8-1
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