On my blog today, I am delighted to be hosting CRAIG HIPKINS, to share news of the publication earlier this year of Bandy, his Young Adult novel set in 1860s Virginia. Here you can find out more about the book and read an excerpt from it.
What is Bandy about?
Isaac’s only friend is a passenger pigeon named Bandy. He deludes himself in believing the bird talks to him. Bullied, he is resigned to a life of being the misunderstood bookworm by neighboring boys until a disastrous fire kills his parents and little sisters, sparing only his younger brother, Thomas. He and Thomas are taken in by their Uncle Raymond, an abolitionist, who plans to send Isaac to Virginia to buy Joy, a young slave with debilitating health, from her slave owner, Wil Jericho. Shortly after arriving in Virginia, Isaac learns the ugly truth. The butler who accompanied him on the journey killed his uncle before leaving and plans to do the same to Isaac to steal Raymond’s estate.
Isaac, with Joy, escape into the backwoods of Virginia. Discovering passages of the Underground Railroad, stowing away in carriages, hiding in churches, and outwitting the mercenaries hired by Jericho, the two teens fight tooth and nail to make it to Boston before they’re caught. Will Joy be taken from this life by sickness before she’s found freedom? On their journey, they learn a lot about each other. Isaac promises to bring Joy to Bandy’s pond, a heavenly place where peace and serenity reign.
Read an excerpt
Isaac was poking at the fire with a stick, causing a shower of sparks to fly up into the sky. “I hope you are right, Joy. Moses has lived there his whole life. Perhaps he can talk his way out of it, even if Lucias does rat him out.”
For a short time, they sat in silence watching the flames lick up the wet smoky wood, each one caught in their own reveries. Finally, Joy broke the silence.
“Isaac?”
“Yeah?”
“What’s it like? I mean, how is it where you live? I have never left Virginia. This life is all I have ever known.”
He gazed at her, sitting, bent over, with her head resting on her knees. “Well, it’s a lot colder up there, but you wouldn’t know it from what we are feeling today. I am an orphan like you. Never really had any friends. Well, I…I do have one friend.”
She looked interested. “You do? A boy or a girl?”
He shrugged and the hint of a smile crossed his face. “Well, you won’t believe me if I told you.”
She sat up and shuffled closer to him. “Tell me. I want to know.”
He tilted his head back. “All right, but don’t laugh at me. You promise?”
She nodded, leaning forward with her chin resting on her hands.
Isaac cleared his throat. “Well, I have this place… I go there often. Been going there since I was little. It’s a pond. The water is always cold and clear. Sometimes it almost shines like God has polished it or something.”
He made a motion with his hand as if he had a cloth and was shining the air. He continued, “There is wildlife in abundance, Joy. I see deer, wild turkey, fox, turtles, and birds everywhere. I know all the trees, lots of maples and oaks, hemlocks, and white pine and even an old chestnut. Sometimes I climb up into its branches, almost to the top!”
She interrupted him. “Isn’t that dangerous?”
He shook his head. “Oh no. You see, it might sound strange, but I never worry about falling because the tree seems to protect me. If I slip, a branch is there to grab me. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it has always been like that. This…this pond is sort of my own little sanctuary. Everything is peaceful. We are all friends. It is like…like my own little heaven.”
Joy became animated. “But your friend? Tell me about your friend?”
He smiled, a carefree look, his mind traveling back to the place. He then turned to her. “Bandy is his name. He is gray, with a pink belly and black spots with a band around his neck… He…he is a passenger pigeon,” he blurted out. “I know you won’t believe me. I never tell anyone. In fact, you are the first person I have ever told, though a few people have seen me talking to Bandy, but they just made fun of me. They think I am crazy.”
Book details
Bandy was published in February 2024 by Hipkins Twins, and is available as an eBook and in paperback.
It is available to read in Kindle Unlimited.
Buy Link
About the author
Craig R. Hipkins
Craig R. Hipkins grew up in Hubbardston, Massachusetts. He is the author of medieval and gothic fiction. His novel Adalbert is the sequel to Astrolabe written by his late twin brother Jay S. Hipkins (1968-2018). He is an avid long distance runner and enjoys astronomy in his spare time.
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Thank you so much for hosting Craig R. Hipkins with his fabulous novel, Bandy, on your blog today.
Take care,
Cathie xx
The Coffee Pot Book Club