You probably don’t believe in the Malamander.

You maybe think there’s no way a fish-man can be real.

And that’s fine.

In fact, do yourself a favour and stop reading now.

This story probably isn’t for you anyway.

What is the Malamander?

No really. Stop reading this. Forget you ever heard of Eerie-on-Sea.

Delete this email.

Now clear your deleted items.

 

Have I heard of Eerie-on-Sea?

You’ve probably been to Eerie-on-Sea, without ever knowing it.

When you came, it would have been summer. There would have been ice cream and deckchairs and a seagull that pinched your chips. You probably poked about in the rock pools with your mum, while your dad found that funny shell. Remember? And I bet, when you got in the car to drive home, you looked up at the words CHEERIE-on-SEA – written in light-bulb letters over the pier – and got ready to forget all about your day at the beach.

It’s that kind of place.

In the summer.

 

So … what happens after summer?

You should try being here when the first winter storms blow in, when the letters “C” and “H” blow off the pier. When sea mist drifts up the streets like vast ghostly tentacles, and saltwater spray rattles the windows of the Grand Nautilus Hotel.

Few people visit Eerie-on-Sea then. Even the locals keep off the beach when darkness falls and the wind howls, and – even now – some swear they have seen the unctuous Malamander creep.

 

Seriously. WHAT is the Malamander?

I’ve told you too much already. Forget all about the Malamander. Go back to your normal life – grow up, get married, start a family. And when your children can walk, take them for a day at the beach too. In the summer, of course. Stroll on the sand, and find a funny shell. Reach down and pick it up. Only, it’s stuck to something …

Stuck to an old tin box.

The lock has been torn off and the chain is gone. Can the ocean do that? You open the box, and find …

… that it’s empty.

Nothing but barnacles and seaweed, and something else. Something like … slime?

You hear a sound behind you – a sound like footsteps – coming closer. Like slimy, flippery footsteps coming closer.

You turn around.

What do you see?

Really?

Well, maybe this story is for you, after all.

Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, knows that returning lost things to their rightful owners is not easy – especially when the lost thing is not a thing at all, but a girl. No one knows what happened to Violet Parma’s parents twelve years ago, and when she engages Herbie to help her find them, the pair discover that their disappearance might have something to do with the legendary sea-monster, the Malamander. Eerie-on-Sea has always been a mysteriously chilling place, where strange stories seem to wash up. And it just got stranger …

Malamander will be unleashed by Walker Books on 1 May 2019.

• Advance reading copies distributed to booksellers and media to build excitement (and fear) ahead of release
• Eye-catching point-of-sale material including unique display units, postcards, posters, bookmarks and shelf-talkers
• Reviews, interviews and giveaways placed in national magazines and online
• Major digital marketing campaign across Walker social media, leading up to release and beyond
• Featured as a Better Reading Kids’ Book of the Week, reaching their audience of tens of thousands of engaged booklovers
• Digital assets available to download.

Thomas Taylor is an award-winning author-illustrator for children. He illustrated the cover for the very first Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and has since gone on to write and illustrate several picture books and young novels; most recently he illustrated Scarlett Hart: Monster Hunter, written by Marcus Sedgwick.

Enter the world of Eerie-on-Sea in this excerpt from Malamander here.

Enter our book proof giveaway, and you could meet the Malamander for yourself before May! Send us an email at marketingwba@walkerbooks.com.au with ‘Malamander Book Buzz Giveaway’ in the subject line, telling us why you’re excited (or terrified) to read Malamander. The five most creative responses will win a proof copy!

Text and illustrations Copyright 2019 Thomas Taylor