So while I was off in my head musing about curious connections and astonishing alignments, I managed to overlook something kind of important.

It’s here! Or there! It’s in bookstores! And other places!

And next weekend it will be launched in a ceremonial sense at the third annual SCBWI Rottnest Retreat by none other than Sarah Foster, Managing Director of Walker Books

Here’s the blurb, to give you an idea of what the book is about.

Ruby is in charge of this book. And she’ll tell you something right now. There are NO BEARS in it. Not even one.

Ruby wants to tell you a story. A story with absolutely no bears. You don’t need bears for a book. You need pretty things like fairies and princesses and castles. And maybe funny things and exciting things – but definitely no bears!

I’m thrilled with this book, which despite the absence of ducks, has turned out more beautifully than I could ever have imagined, in large part thanks to the guiding hand of editor Sue Whiting and the gorgeous work of illustrator Leila Rudge. I particularly love the bear (even though there isn’t one, of course). But I also love the monster, and Ruby, and so many other things besides.

People have been asking me where the idea came from, as they are wont to do. It’s a particularly interesting question in the case of this book, I think. How do you decide to write a story about not writing a story about something? The short answer is here

There will be many bear-related things happening over the next few weeks, I’m sure. But for now, here’s something that made me smile this morning, when I remembered that a book had launched, and clicked over to the Walker Books site to see if they had remembered too.

My bear is on the front page!

But not only that – look how cunningly they’ve incorporated the Walker Books slogan into the image: For the best children’s books, look for the bear.

Ruby would not approve.